


Bad Intentions

by starseternalnighttriumphant



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2020-10-05 03:20:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20481995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starseternalnighttriumphant/pseuds/starseternalnighttriumphant
Summary: Raised to be the picture-perfect daughter and newly freed from a toxic ex, Aelin Galathynius is ready to let loose a bit when she goes to a frat party at her college. She gets a little more than she bargains for though when she uses Rowan Whitethorn, local street racer and gang leader, as a ploy to drive off her ex. Rowan never thought he'd see the campus princess at a party, but he's more than willing to give her a taste of the wild side. Falling a lot harder than she expected, Aelin is shocked to find a fire inside her that Rowan stokes to life— one that's likely to get them both into trouble.





	1. Chapter One

The party Aelin Galathynius found herself at was not her usual scene. Rap music filtered out of the large frat house, shaking her core as she neared the premises. Different colored lights flashed from the windows and there were people on the lawn laughing and drinking. Someone was doing a keg stand. Yeah, this definitely wasn’t her usual scene.

In fact, she was sure she stood out like a sore thumb in her designer jeans, soft green cashmere sweater, and one carat diamonds in her ears. Upper class propriety oozed from her pores, starting at her perfectly styled head all the way to her $400 heels. She was at odds with the short shorts and crop tops worn by the sorority girls and even the boat shoes and expensive polos of the fraternity boys. Especially when everyone had a red cup of liquor in their hands.

Her best friend and cousin’s girlfriend, Lysandra, was at her side dressed similarly to her except she was in a gold silk top that showed off much of her back. Why she had let Lysandra drag her to a frat party was beyond her, despite that she’d been to many parties hosted by the football team and her cheer squad. 

“Oh cheer up!” Lysandra laughed as she watched Aelin take in her surroundings with a look of distaste. “We’re going to have fun!”

Aelin shot her a look as they walked up the driveway, expensive cars lined up, turned on and music drifting from the open doors. People, mostly girls, hovered around the cars and their drivers. She ignored them as they passed by but jumped when one honked at them as they walked in front of it. She glared at the curly-haired blonde guy behind the wheel, a smirk on his face. A face she knew well, since she shared a few classes with him.

“Hey princess,” Fenrys Moonbeam called to her, stepping out of his sleek BMW.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed Lysandra’s arm, propelling them up the driveway faster to get away from the cars. She didn’t feel like dealing with Fenrys and his little gang tonight: the Cadre, they liked to call themselves.

She and Lysandra finally made it to the entrance of the house, slipping among the packed bodies inside. They pushed their way through the living room until they got to the kitchen, where her cousin and some of his frat brothers were playing beer pong. Aedion has just sunk the winning shot when Lysandra slid up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as he cheered and high-fived his partner. He turned his cheerful look to his girlfriend and then to Aelin as she came up to the couple.

“Wow oh wow, you actually managed to get her to come to the house?” Aedion asked Lys, his eyes shooting back up to smirk at his cousin.

“Don’t be mean or I’ll turn back around and go home,” Aelin sighed, letting him pull her into a brief hug, his arm resting across her shoulders.

“You really don’t look like you belong here, cousin,” he commented as he took in her attire.

“That’s the point,” she grumbled. 

He laughed and then handed the girls drinks. He took one for himself and then spun back to Aelin, eyebrow furrowed as if he had forgot to tell her something.

“You should know that Chaol’s here,” he told her.

She sighed, “Great”, and then chugged the contents of the cup. She handed it back for him to refill and she drunk it all again. “Hopefully I don't see him.”

She and Chaol has broken up a couple of weeks ago, news that was still being whispered about on campus. They’d been together throughout the last two years of high school, her senior year of it hard since he’d gone away to Orynth University. But they’d persevered through it and now she was here near the end of her first semester of college, and they weren’t together anymore. He’d gotten increasingly possessive and demanded she be at his side at every game and every after party, and as head cheerleader and quarterback of the football team, they were expected to do it. Until she’d fought with him and told him she was done just over two weeks ago.

“Come on Lys, let’s go dance,” she said, Aedion handing her one more drink before grabbing her friend’s hand and leading her back to the living room where the others were dancing rather disgustingly together.

She and Lysandra danced with each other, the alcohol finally settling in Aelin’s veins, warming her up. The cup of alcohol she’d had was already gone and she was giggling as Lysandra twirled her around. The whole room spun and she had to stop for a second and then grinned at her friend. 

“Trade shirts with me, I’m too hot in this,” Aelin complained, hiccuping.

They kept laughing and snorting as they swapped shirts in the bathroom, the shimmery gold silk top bigger on her than her well-endowed friend. The “V” of the tank top generously showed off her cleavage and she assessed herself with a satisfied grin before they stumbled back out of the bathroom. 

They danced some more, and Aelin was finally enjoying herself when Lysandra pulled her close.

“Chaol is coming our way,” she yelled into Aelin’s ear, brows furrowed.

“Fuck,” Aelin muttered and quickly found her ex-boyfriend in the crowd. He was indeed making his way towards them, his eyes meeting hers before she swiftly looked away.

“I’m going outside,” she told Lysandra and spun towards the door, shoving people out of the way so she could put some distance between her and Chaol.

She finally got to the door and stepped onto the porch, about to breathe a sigh of relief but instead getting a face full of cigarette smoke, causing her to cough instead.

“Seriously?” she whined, waving away the smoke to turn and face the offender.

And wished she’d just ignored it and continued walking.

Rowan Whitethorn stood there, one hand in his jeans pocket and the other dangling a cigarette between his fingers. He was in a black shirt and black leather jacket, a silver hoop gleaming at his nose. His silver hair was cropped at the sides and a little longer on the top, and his pine green eyes flashed with humor as he eyed her. He was too handsome for his own good, and he used it to his advantage. His strong jawline, sloping nose, and sinful mouth could make any girl fall in love with him.

He was the same age as Aedion, a senior at OU, and part of Aedion’s frat though one never would’ve guessed by the way Rowan dressed, acted, and who he hung out with. He was a part of the Cadre, their ringleader. Fenrys, his twin brother Connall, Lorcan Salvaterre, and Gavriel Lyons were part of the gang Rowan commanded, guys that Aelin wouldn’t be caught dead with. They all possessed an aura of danger, and she was pretty sure they did all sorts of things that were illegal. They all street raced, and she knew all of them had a close brush with the law at least once. Fenrys sold drugs on campus for gods’ sake.

“I’m sorry, princess, did my smoke get in your way?” Rowan drawled, his accent thick and seductive.

“Maybe you should smoke it a little faster so I have to spend less time in your presence,” Aelin shot back. 

A smirk curled his lips as he took another drag, blowing the smoke right in her face. She blinked once in disbelief and then went to knock his cigarette out of his hand but he moved it out of her way.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m just standing here enjoying my cigarette,” he replied simply, dropping the butt to the ground and crushing in under the heel of his boot.

He looked back up to her, head tilting as he dragged his eyes over her body. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it in his mouth without taking his eyes away from her.

“I’m surprised to see you dressed in a shirt that shows so much. Aren’t you one of those conservative types?” he asked.

She wanted to spit at him. “And what do you even know about me, Rowan Whitethorn?”

He stepped closer to her, her crossed arms brushing against his chest. He raised an eyebrow as he held her gaze. 

“I know a lot about you Aelin Galathynius. Your dad is the captain of Orynth PD. You’re the head cheerleader. You were dating that asshole quarterback Chaol Westfall. You’re the perfect, smart, do-no-wrong good girl that everyone loves so much. Always dressed in your expensive sweaters and nice dresses and pearls and diamonds. Trust me, babygirl, I know exactly who you are.”

He turned his head and blew the smoke out of his mouth before looking to her again.

“Or am I wrong?” he murmured, smirking at her. 

She opened her mouth to say something, to yell at him, but before she could get a word out she saw Chaol duck out of the house, eyes scanning the front yard. Aelin looked back to Rowan, panicking.

“Kiss me,” she told him.

His self-satisfied smile fell off his lips and the cigarette he’d just lit fell between his fingers to the ground.

“Excuse me?”

“Just fucking kiss me,” she hissed, taking his jacket in her fists and pulling him closer.

His hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her flush to him and his lips descended on hers. She placed her hands on either side of his neck, fingers running through the hair at the nape of his neck as he deepened the kiss, hands sliding up her bare back. She shivered despite the fact that his hands were warm, his fingertips teasing her skin. He tasted of smoke and menthol, a taste that should’ve disgusted her but she found strangely intoxicating. She drank him in, let his tongue enter her mouth as her nails dug into the back of his neck. 

Seconds, minutes, hours later, he pulled back, hands still on her bare skin as his eyes skirted around her face. Her heart was in her throat, her eyes doing the same. She’d never been kissed like that before, as if he was trying to memorize every small indentation on her lips, the way they curved, the way her mouth had opened for him. She shook her head once, trying to come out of her daze as she quickly looked to where she’d seen Chaol, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed in relief and then slowly detached herself from Rowan, clearing her throat.

“Thank you,” she said, ignoring the slight shake in her voice.

Rowan eyed her for a moment, thumb running over his bottom lip before he huffed a laugh and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“No problem, princess. Any time you want to use me to make your ex-boyfriend jealous, let me know.”

She rolled her eyes at his sarcastic tone. “I didn’t want you to kiss me to make him jealous. I wanted to prove a point to him.”

“And the point being?”

“I’m done with his bullshit. I don’t want him back,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. She was suddenly cold.

He looked over her for a second before shrugging off his jacket, placing it over her shoulders. She looked at him in surprise but shoved her arms into it. It was still warm with his body heat, the sleeves too long, the whole thing too big on her but she wrapped up in it, inhaling the scent of smoke and mint and pine. The scent of Rowan Whitethorn. 

“You can give it back to me later,” he winked at her, pulling out another cigarette.

She watched him, eyes trailing over his heavily toned arms, eyes glued to the wicked looking whorls on his right arm that disappeared up his sleeve. She shouldn’t have been surprised that Rowan had tattoos. She took in the perfectly-fitted black t-shirt, his chest broad, his shoulders almost sculpted like they were made from marble.

“Like what you see?”

She snapped out of her perusing, scowling at him. She was about to shrug his jacket off and go back inside when Fenrys came up to Rowan, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Bets are placed, man. We’re about to head out,” he told his friend.

“Who’s in the lead?” Rowan asked him.

Fenrys grinned. “Me.”

Rowan laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

Fenrys, as if finally noticing that Rowan wasn’t alone, turned to Aelin, flashing his flirty grin at her. 

“Hello gorgeous. Care to join me as I beat Whitethorn’s ass?” he asked her.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Excuse me?”

“We’re about to go race,” Rowan drawled. “Fenrys might not be the person you want to be in a car with.”

“Oh come on, Aelin, it’ll be fun,” Fenrys cooed, coming to throw his arm around her shoulders. “You can be my good luck charm.”

“I- uh. I mean…”

“Aelin!” 

She was saved from answering as Lysandra came to her side, cheeks flushed.

“You’ve been gone forever! What are you up to?” her friend asked her, eyes darting to Rowan and Fenrys.

“You wanna go watch a street race?” Aelin asked her.

Lysandra’s grin was answer enough.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raised to be the picture-perfect daughter and newly freed from a toxic ex, Aelin Galathynius is ready to let loose a bit when she goes to a frat party at her college. She gets a little more than she bargains for though when she uses Rowan Whitethorn, local street racer and gang leader, as a ploy to drive off her ex. Rowan never thought he'd see the campus princess at a party, but he's more than willing to give her a taste of the wild side. Falling a lot harder than she expected, Aelin is shocked to find a fire inside her that Rowan stokes to life— one that's likely to get them both into trouble.

Aelin stood with Lysandra on the sidewalk of an abandoned road on the outskirts of Orynth. They were in a more rundown part of the city, a place Aelin wouldn’t be caught dead in whether it was during the day or at night.

Yet here she was, her eyes on a lineup of cars as they were getting ready to race. It was the whole Cadre, five cars in total, and with the loud rumbling of all five engines Aelin was surprised anyone could hear the shouts of last minute bet placing. Fenrys’s, Rowan’s, and Lorcan’s cars were side by side with Gavriel’s and Connall’s just behind. All the cars were sleek, low to the ground, and definitely expensive. Rowan’s was a midnight black Mustang, windows so tinted that no one could see inside, the rims a shiny chrome. If she had to admit it, his car was easily the best looking one out of all of them. 

“Hopefully the cops don’t get called,” Aelin muttered to her friend as she wrapped Rowan’s jacket tighter around her body.

“In this part of town? I don’t think so.” Lysandra’s eyes were bright as they trailed over the cars. 

Herds of people lined either sides of the massive road. Frat boys, sorority girls, grunge kids, and the groupies, as she derisively called them, that usually were always around the Cadre. She spotted a pale blonde girl talking to Rowan where he was leaned up against the side of his car, her lithe body almost pressed against his. He didn’t look particularly bothered by it, a smirk flirting across his face as Remelle giggled at him. Aelin scoffed, and as if he’d heard the noise, Rowan’s eyes shot up to her, their gazes connecting. She quickly looked away, focusing instead on Fenrys getting out of his car and walking her way. 

“Hey little lady, how about a kiss for good luck?” Fenrys drawled.

He leaned down to bring his lips close to hers and instead, she planted a quick kiss to his cheek before pulling away from him.

“You’re not that lucky, Fenrys Moonbeam,” she tossed at him, smirking.

Challenge lit up in his eyes as he returned her smile, and he opened his mouth to say something when Rowan came up to them, arms crossed. Her eyes shifted to him, taking in his handsome features. She looked briefly over his shoulder to see Remelle staring daggers at his backside, her deep blue eyes scrunched into angry slits.

“Are you going to kiss the whole gang, princess?” he asked.

Aelin’s attention was brought back to him and she cocked her head. “Jealous?”

“Not in the slightest,” he commented, taking another step closer to her. “But if Fenrys of all people can get a kiss from a pretty girl, I’d say I have a good chance too.”

She looked up into his face, only inches from hers. She smiled innocently at him, reaching up to drag a finger down his jaw.

“Why don’t you go ask Remelle?” she demanded sweetly. “I’m sure she’d be more than willing to kiss you good luck.”

“I’m not asking Remelle. I’m asking you,” he murmured, nose brushing hers.

She wasn’t sure what was going on with her tonight, but she was feeling braver and more outlandish than she’d ever been before. Before this night, she’d never interacted with anyone from Rowan’s little circle of friends, had gone out of her way to avoid them. She was popular, smart, a “goody-two-shoes” as Rowan had called her. But here she was, about to watch an illegal street race in Rowan Whitethorn’s jacket, having kissed Fenrys’s cheek and about to do the same to Rowan.

Slowly, she leaned in to place her lips on his cheek but she didn’t even get that far. Rowan’s head turned, capturing her lips with his and she let out a small gasp before his kiss snuffed it out. She wrapped her arms around his neck, his hands coming to slide around her waist and up her shirt to rest on her lower back. He kissed her hard, biting her bottom lip gently before releasing her mouth. She opened her eyes to look into his, his pupils blown wide. She shivered but covered it up with a slow smile.

“How’s that for a good luck kiss?” she muttered.

He kissed her once, twice more before pulling away from her. He smirked at her before pulling out a cigarette.

“I’m feeling real lucky,” he told her before lighting his cigarette and walking back to his car.

She bit her lip subconsciously as he walked away. Then she huffed a laugh and wrapped her arms around herself again. She looked to Lysandra to see her friend staring at her as if she had grown a second head.

“What?” she demanded.

An incredulous smile spread across Lysandra’s face as she shook her head. “You’re in so much trouble, Aelin Galathynius.”

Aelin rolled her eyes and turned back to the cars as engines started revving. People started cheering as smoke billowed from the mufflers of the cars, as tires started screeching. A pretty brunette waved a checkered flag from the sidewalk and when she brought it down to the ground, the cars were off. Within seconds they were almost a mile down the road before turning a corner and disappearing from sight. In the distance she could hear the cars but for now they were all standing around, quiet on the dimly lit street.

“So we just wait?” Aelin murmured.

“Yeah. They’ll come back around in a minute or so. And then we see who wins,” Lys explained to her.

Aelin rose an eyebrow. “How do you know so much about this?”

Lysandra shrugged and then grinned fiendishly. “I may or may not have seen a race or two.”

Now it was Aelin’s turn to stare at her friend as if she had grown a second head. “Seriously?”

“I’m not as perfect as you, Aelin,” Lys laughed. 

“Does Aedion know?”

Lysandra rolled her eyes. “As if. He’d shit his pants if he ever found me out here. And he’d have a coronary if he found both of us out here.”

Aelin fought a small smile, shaking her head. Lysandra was right, of course. Aedion would freak out if he knew they were out here. And then he’d tell Aelin’s father. And then she’d surely be in trouble. 

The sound of engines being pushed to their limits came closer, and she peered down the road to see headlights becoming increasingly brighter as the cars neared the starting point. People began cheering again, whoops of joy and cries of defeat as a slick black Mustang blew past the finish line, screeching to a stop hundreds of feet away. Aelin laughed as she followed the people running for Rowan’s car.

Rowan got out, a purely male smile on his face as people surrounded him, clapping him on the back and girls squealing in delight. He smirked at them all but his eyes met Aelin’s, who returned his smile as she watched from afar. Rowan pushed past the crowd, but the group turned their attention to Fenrys and the others as they all got out of their respective vehicles. 

He came to stand in front of her, hands in his pockets. She shoved hers in the pockets of his jacket, rolling back on the balls of her feet.

“So that was interesting,” she laughed. “Congrats on winning, I’m sure Fenrys is thrilled that he lost out on a lot of money.”

His hands grabbed the lapels of the jacket and drew her close, his face lit with amusement. 

“It’s because I got the better good luck kiss,” he told her, hands coming up to rest on either side of her neck.

“And I suspect you now want a victory kiss?” she rose an eyebrow. “You can only get so lucky, Whitethorn.”

He grinned like a fool and leaned down, his lips about to brush hers before someone yelled.

“We gotta get out of here! Danny said cops are on the way!”

People immediately started scattering, asking for rides or straight up just running away. Unease flooded through her as she jerked back from Rowan. If cops were coming, she was sure her father would be leading the way. It was his pet project to shut down the Cadre’s street racing antics and if he caught her here…

“Get in the car,” Rowan rumbled, pushing her towards his Mustang.

She hopped into the seat, barely clicking in her seatbelt before Rowan floored it, peeling out of the empty neighborhood they’d been in. She gripped the dashboard, pulling out her phone and dialing Lysandra’s number.

“Are you okay?” Aelin asked as soon as her friend picked up.

“Yeah, I’m with Fenrys, he’s gonna get me back to campus. And you? Are you with Rowan?” Her voice was muffled but concerned.

Aelin sighed. “Yes I am. I’ll be okay. I’ll see you later.”

She hung up and looked up at the buildings and lights whizzing by. She frowned, checking the speedometer. 

“If you don’t slow down, we really will get pulled over,” Aelin chided.

Rowan huffed a laugh but eased down on the speed bringing it to five over the limit.

“Scared, princess?”

“Uh, yes. My dad is the head captain of the police department, remember?” 

“You could do with a little danger in your life,” Rowan smirked. 

“I’m in a car with you, this is as dangerous as I’ve ever gotten,” she grumbled, and fought a smile as Rowan’s deepened.

Ten minutes later, instead of following the road that led into the heart of campus, he pulled off onto the dirt road that led to the huge lake that sat behind the university. The rowing team practiced out on it, there was an end of school year party here every year, and under-aged kickbacks happened around the shores. Aelin frowned but didn’t say anything as he pulled up along the sandy shore and parked, turning the car off. 

“Are you kidnapping me?” she asked jokingly.

He smirked. “No but I’m not ready to get back home. Are you?”

She shook her head. “We can stay out here for a little bit.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Aelin watching the fireflies as they lit up and faded on the surface of the lake. She breathed in the smell of the cab, all smoke and mint and pine and Rowan. 

“So why did you and Mr. Perfect break up?”

She blinked, looking to Rowan but he just had his head propped up on his fist, looking out at the lake too. She looked back to the scene before them, sighing.

“He was being possessive and controlling. He always wanted me by his side. Whether it was on the field or at parties or between classes, he demanded I be right there.” She picked at a stray thread in her jeans. “And maybe that was fine in high school, but here… I guess I was just tired of it. He always wanted to know where I was, what I was doing, who I was with. I think he was afraid I’d embarrass him if I was seen with the wrong people.”

Rowan snorted. “What a prick.”

She shrugged, leaning on the center console. “At first I understood. He’s the quarterback and I’m the head cheerleader. We were a power couple, in a sense. But I just… I don’t know. I’m tired of trying to be perfect all the time.”

She had muttered the last part to herself but she knew Rowan had heard.

“You can’t be expected to be perfect all the time,” he told her gently.

“Tell that to Chaol and my parents,” she scoffed.

“Westfall’s a dick, you don’t need to stress over him.”

She sighed. “I think he cheated on me too.”

“Really?” he demanded. “What a fucking bastard.”

She shrugged. “It’s just a feeling I have. The last couple of months he was so distant. Didn’t wanna kiss me or touch me.”

Rowan was silent for a second and then he leaned towards her, arm bracing the console next to hers. She looked up at his face. 

“If you were my girl I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you,” he told her in a low voice.

Aelin’s breath caught. Feeling brave, or maybe it was feeling stupid, she tilted her head and asked silkily:

“What’s stopping you from keeping your hands off me now?”

One of his brows shot up, a sensuous smirk crawling up his lips. “Get in the backseat and I’ll show you exactly where I wanna put my hands.”

Her heart thundered but she just winked at him and deftly swung into the backseat, finding it more spacious than she had originally thought. She looked up just as Rowan joined her, his mouth crashing against hers. His arm snaked around her back, pulling her into his lap. He kissed her hard and deep as she shrugged off his jacket and then gripped his shoulders. Their shirts ended up on the floor of the car before she even knew what was happening, his mouth trailing down her neck. She didn’t have room to be embarrassed that she was half naked in front of Rowan Whitethorn as he licked and sucked down her chest, stopping right over her heart as he looked up at her. 

His mouth connected with hers again as he maneuvered her onto her back, deftly pulling off her jeans and panties, his joining hers on their pile of clothes. She was utterly naked beneath him, her already sensitized skin hot against the cool leather of his backseat. She watched him as his eyes ran over her body, slowly as if he was drinking her in. His thumb roved over his bottom lip as his eyes met hers again.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he muttered to her before kissing her again. 

Her hands tangled in his hair as their tongues battled, a soft sigh coming out as his hands traced lightly over her skin. His fingertips slid over her ribs and his hands squeezed her breasts once before coming up to cup her face. His hips pressed against hers, and she gasped as she felt his hardened cock against her pelvic bone. 

“Rowan,” she murmured against his lips and he pulled back to look at her.

“What is it?” he asked, his bedroom eyes heavy lidded as he dipped back down to run his lips along her jaw.

Her eyes fluttered shut as his mouth sucked on her neck.

“I haven’t- I’m a virgin,” she muttered shakily.

His head shot up, surprise chasing away the lust as he looked down at her. Her face burned and she was glad it was dark enough that he couldn’t see how pink her cheeks were. 

“You’re… what? You’ve never…? Not even with Chaol?” he asked, stumbling over his words.

She shook her head. “We didn’t… He didn’t want to risk it. Said if I got knocked up it would ruin his college career.”

Rowan’s eyes roamed her face almost wildly, as if trying to solve a complex math problem. He sighed and shook his head, rubbing his face.

“I don’t think you want me to ruin you, princess,” he told her, his voice rough as his eyes trailed over her again.

She didn’t care, didn’t care about anything except how his hands had felt on her skin, how his lips had felt against hers.

“Ruin me,” she whispered against his mouth. “Please.”

That was all it took for his resolve to fall away, his mouth claiming hers. His hand trailed down her body until he grabbed her thigh and hefted her leg up, resting it over the headrest of the seat, allowing a better angle for him to settle between her hips. He pulled his lips from hers and put two fingers to her lips.

“Suck,” he commanded and something in her belly tightened at his tone.

She pulled his fingers into her mouth, twirling her tongue around them. His jaw clenched as he watched her and when she gently bit down, he groaned before pulling his fingers from her mouth.

“Good girl,” he muttered before taking those two fingers and plunging them into her, causing her to cry out.

She dug her nails into his back as his fingers pumped her, his thumb circling her clit. This wasn’t something she was new to, Chaol had at least allowed fooling around, but this was nothing like she was used to. Rowan knew exactly what he was doing as he curled his fingers slightly, hitting that one spot inside her that her ex-boyfriend could only sometimes find. His mouth was on hers the whole time, smiling every time her breaths came out in pants or she gasped. It wasn’t long before she tightened around him, so close to coming undone.

But before her release came, Rowan pulled his fingers out, and she let out a curse at the lack of contact. He just chuckled darkly as his eyes connected with hers. He didn’t let go of her gaze as he brought those fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean, a move that had her stomach clenching. She gripped his neck and brought his lips to hers, kissing him hard as his hand slipped between them to stroke his cock a few times.

“Are you ready, babygirl?” he asked, pulling back to look at her.

She nodded. “Please.”

He groaned at the word, lining himself up at her folds. He looked back to her, free hand coming up to grab her jaw gently.

“Tell me if it’s too much,” he whispered and thrust into her before she could even reply.

She cried out as he bottomed out, settling against her. Their chests heaved in sync as they adjusted to each other, Aelin getting used to the uncomfortable feeling of having someone as large as Rowan inside of her for the first time. 

“Okay?” he asked, running his fingers through her hair.

She nodded and bucked her hips up, causing a moan to fall from his lips. She did it again and his grip on her tightened as he glared at her.

“If you keep doing that baby, I’m not going to last long.”

Before she could retort, he pulled out of her slightly and plunged back in, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough that it knocked the breath out of her. He began a slow pace, one hand still on her face and the other gripping her thigh with bruising intensity.

Her back arched, chest pressed against his as he rolled his hips against hers again and again. She tangled a hand into his hair, pulling his bottom lip into her mouth. 

“Faster,” she groaned, bringing her other leg up to wrap around his waist.

He smirked and quickened his pace, dragging out sounds from her that she’d never heard before. His mouth traveled down her chest to connect with one of her nipples, pulling it into his mouth. She gasped as he rolled the sensitive bud between his teeth, tongue circling it. His hand dropped from her face to come down to the other one, tweaking it, causing her to cry out. 

“Rowan please,” she ground out, tightening her leg around him.

He released her nipple with a small pop and looked up at her as his thrusts got harder, a smirk on his face.

“There are those perfect manners of yours,” he drawled as he kissed back up her neck to her mouth. 

He pounded into her and she clenched around him, a groan escaping his mouth. He kissed her languidly as his thumb pressed against her clit, pulling the hood back and exposing the bundle of nerves. He circled it roughly, muffled cries escaping her as he kept her mouth covered with his. The noises just spurred him to go faster, that damned finger of his playing with her clit like it was his prey. 

“You’re so close baby,” he whispered, giving her a firm thrust, her head falling back as she cried out again.

Her muscles started to tighten, her legs starting to shake. His fast pace plateaued out, and he actually managed to give her sensitive nub a pinch that had her coming undone. She released a sob of pleasure as she shattered for him, her walls spasming around his cock. 

Rowan kissed her deeply as his pace stuttered and then her name was falling off his lips as he came, sheathing himself to the hilt inside of her as he shook. She held on to him tightly, nails digging into his skin as they came down from their high together, exchanging small, soft kisses across slightly damp skin. He picked his head up from where it was buried in the crook of her neck, looking down at her as he pushed a lock of hair off her forehead.

“That was…” Aelin trailed off and then grinned, shaking her head.

He smirked at her, placing a slow kiss on her lips before pulling out of her, a movement that had both of them groaning. They helped each other dress and were back in the front seat in minutes.

“I really should be a gentleman and take you back to your apartment,” he told her as he started the car and drove back onto the main road, “but I’m not quite done with you yet. Do you want to come back to my place?”

She huffed a laugh and stretched her hand out to run a finger down his neck. “Sure, why not?”

He grinned and minutes later, he was pulling up to the same frat house they had left hours ago, now dark and silent as the party had ended probably only less than an hour ago. Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned to him as he turned off the car.

“You live in the house?” she asked. 

He nodded. “Is that an issue?”

“I can’t go in there,” she argued. “Aedion lives in the house too. He’ll kill you if he sees me with you.”

Rowan just smirked at her and opened his door. “Live a little, babygirl.”

She sighed and eyed the house for a moment before climbing out of the car and coming to Rowan’s side. He tangled his fingers with hers and they quietly moved through the house and up the stairs until they reached his room. He pulled her into the room, shutting and locking the door behind them before pressing her against it, his lips on hers.

She giggled as he picked her up and took her to his bed, setting her down and already pulling off her clothes. She sighed in content as soon as they were skin on skin, his lips roving over her body as he worshipped and ravished her. As they crashed together again and again, she wondered if it was possible to get tired of Rowan Whitethorn. He was against everything she believed in, was opposite to her perfect, orderly life, but as she dug her fingers into his back she didn’t care. He was definitely going to ruin her, and she couldn’t wait for every second of it.


	3. Chapter Three

The chiming of her phone’s alarm clock had Aelin’s eyes flying open. She fumbled for her phone to switch the alarm off, hand then diving into her purse on the floor by the bed to pull out a small packet. She popped out a pill and swallowed it dry before resting her head back on the pillow. The last thing she needed was to get pregnant her first time having sex, especially if it was with Rowan Whitethorn.

As the thought ran through her head, her eyes popped back open and she turned her head to look at the man next to her. He was on his stomach, one arm tucked under his head, and his silver hair was ruffled from sleep and from when she’d ran her hands through it. There was a small purplish mark where his neck met his shoulder, a place that her mouth had been constantly to keep her noises of pleasure from echoing throughout the frat house.

She sighed and slipped from his bed, throwing on her clothes. She had to get out of here before anyone else in the house woke up and spotted her. The last thing she needed was for her reputation to go to shit because she’d been found sneaking out of Rowan’s bedroom. She grabbed her purse and surveyed him for a minute before leaning down and planting a kiss to his head. She left a note on the pillow with her phone number and then quietly exited the room. She tiptoed down the stairs and was almost to the front door when a voice sounded from behind her, glueing her to the spot.

“Aelin?”

She murmured a few choice words and then put on a cheery smile as she spun around. “Hey cousin.”

Aedion’s eyebrows were furrowed dangerously as he came up to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, uh. I forgot my purse here last night,” she said quickly, holding up her purse as if to convince herself of her lie.

“And you just happened to be dressed in the same clothes from last night, with Rowan Whitethorn’s jacket on?” he asked, voice hard.

She looked down at herself and almost groaned. She’d donned Rowan’s leather jacket without even thinking twice about it. She was done for.

“Yeah, sorry Aedion, meeting Lysandra for breakfast!” she replied quickly, throwing the door open. “I’ll talk to you later.”

She ran out the door as Aedion shouted her name behind her.

-

“It was the worst,” Aelin groaned as she flopped down in the grass next to Lysandra. “He was the one person I was hoping to avoid, so of course he’s the one person to catch me.”

Lysandra crowed with laughter. “You shouldn’t have spent the night.”

“Rowan was very convincing,” she grumbled, pulling out her textbook.

The two girls had just finished up with their first and only class of the day, deciding to take advantage of the nice weather and study out in the quad. Aelin had Rowan’s jacket in her backpack, determined to find him and return it before anyone could start rumors just by seeing it in her possession.

“Oh, I’m sure that dick of his was _very_ convincing,” Lysandra purred, and then laughed when Aelin swatted at her. “I can’t believe you lost your virginity to Rowan Whitethorn, of all people. How was it? Did he make you come?”

“I am not talking about this,” Aelin sputtered, cheeks heating up.

“We’re best friends, Aelin! I want to know the sordid details of your newly founded sex life!” She poked her in the side. “So tell me. Did he. Make you. Come?”

“Only about six or seven times.”

Lysandra screeched, smacking Aelin on the arm.

“Ow, what the hell is that for, you psycho!”

Lysandra groaned and fell back against the blanket they’d laid out. “I cannot believe he made you come that many times. Did you come the first time?”

“Yes,” Aelin muttered.

“You lucky bitch. I wish I had. It took Aedion and I forever until I was able to come just from penetration. In fact-”

“I am not listening to this!” Aelin barked, clapping her hands over her ears. “I love you, but I do not want to hear about my cousin having sex.”

Lysandra laughed, her eyes drifting around the courtyard and then she gasped, shooting to her feet. Aelin got up too, concerned. Her eyes flicked around and landed on Aedion, who was stomping up to them. He looked a bit disheveled, but she hardly noticed as she took in the dark bruise around his eye, his eyelid swollen shut.

“What the _fuck_ did you do?” Aelin demanded, reaching up to touch his face gently to inspect the black eye.

Aedion winced but allowed her to look over him. “I had a little chat with Whitethorn.” His voice was cold.

She immediately pulled her hand back as if his face hard burned her. “You what?”

“The last thing you need is to be involved with him, Aelin,” he told her, jaw clenching. “He’s no good. He does whatever he wants. He’s just going to play with you.”

Her face warmed, embarrassment prickling along her skin. How dare he. “That’s none of your business,” she hissed, embarrassment quickly morphing into anger.

“What would Rhoe say if he found out?” he shot back, the threat subtle enough that her face was set aflame.

Aelin shoved him and then grabbed her backpack. “Fuck you, Aedion.”

Then she was hurrying away, towards a building she knew a certain silver-haired man hung outside of with his gang around this time. Sure enough, he was leaned up against a tree, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Fenrys and Lorcan were with him, along with a dark-haired girl that she recognized as Elide Lochan, Lorcan’s girlfriend and one of her roommates at her apartment. A nice and sweet girl, the type of girl you wouldn’t expect to see with Lorcan Salvaterre.

Aelin strode over to him, his eyes catching sight of her, a grin starting to tilt his lips up. His jacket was in her arms and before he could open up that sinful mouth of his, she shoved the jacket into his chest, hard enough that he frowned and dropped his cigarette to the ground.

“Don’t fucking talk to me ever again,” she seethed.

The surprise on his face was almost comical, but she quickly turned and walked back the way she’d came, emotions roiling through her at how fast everything had gone to shit.

-

Aelin was laying on her couch, a blanket wrapped around her, blankly staring at the movie that was playing on the TV. Her phone rested next to her head, and she half-hoped and half-dreaded that Rowan would text her. It was finally the weekend, and she hadn’t seen him around campus at all. And she wasn’t about to bring any of it up to Fenrys, who just kept giving her an insanely annoying grin that told her he knew exactly what— or who— had gotten under her skin.

She sighed, rolling onto her back and pinching the bridge of her nose. She should’ve known better to get involved with Rowan Whitethorn. It was one thing to kiss him to get a point across to Chaol, but she shouldn’t have taken it so far as to sleep with him. Let alone take her virginity. She was sure he had gloated about it to his friends. Bedding the head cheerleader, Orynth University’s resident golden girl.

She frowned, opening her eyes. She didn’t want to believe that. Despite only spending the night with him, she had gotten the impression that he wasn’t that type of guy. He’d been super attentive to her, giving her exactly what she wanted and needed. His fingers had been rough and then soft, igniting her skin on fire. He’d whispered compliments and praise the whole night, and she recalled him muttering that _she_ was going to be the one to ruin _him_.

She supposed it didn’t matter now. She’d drawn a line in the sand, pushing him away in her anger. She hadn’t talked to Aedion since Monday either, still angry at him for interfering in her life, for subtly threatening that he’d tell her father what she was doing. A door opening and closing pulled her from her thoughts, her eyes drifting to where Elide had come in. Elide eyed her, head shaking.

“Aelin, you’re being just a little pathetic. You’ve been on that couch every day after class.”

Aelin snorted and sat up, unraveling herself from the blanket. “It’s been a rough week, El.”

“I know,” she chirped, clapping her hands. “So let’s go out.”

Her lips twisted in a frown. “I don’t feel like it.”

“Please?” her friend stretched out the word.

“Look, the Cadre are racing motorcycles tonight and I promised Lorcan I’d be there. And I know you’re angry with him, but I bet you’re dying to see Rowan.”

“Seriously?” Aelin groaned. “Does everyone know my personal business? Next thing I know, the whole school is going to know I slept with him.”

Elide squealed. “You slept with him? Oh my gods!”

“Mala save me,” Aelin muttered, rubbing her temples. “I’m surprised you didn’t already know.”

“Rowan doesn’t share anything about his private life. We only know there’s something between you guys because of what happened earlier this week.”

“Elide,” Aelin said, her voice firm. “I don’t want to see Rowan.”

But Elide was already walking down the hall, saying “We leave in an hour so you better get ready!”

-

“This is ridiculous,” Aelin murmured, pulling at the dress she had on.

“Are you kidding? It’s perfect!” Elide crowed, pulling her car down a dirt road.

The dress in question was one of Elide’s, a short, tight black thing that kept riding up Aelin’s thighs. It was like a second skin on her, clinging so well to her that she’d had to forgo underwear or else lines would’ve shown. She’d begged Elide for at least a cardigan or jacket to cover up the thing spaghetti straps of the dress, but her friend wasn’t having it. It was a relatively warm night, and she would’ve looked out of place with one on, Elide had argued.

She’d wanted to say she would’ve looked out of place with what she had on, but Elide had just dragged her out of the apartment. So here she was, in a little black dress and heels, an ensemble she usually wouldn’t be caught dead in. This dress was even more provocative than her cheer uniform.

Elide took another turn and they gently eased down a hill until Aelin could see the headlights of a bunch of other cars illuminating an abandoned road. Her friend pulled up among the others, flashing her a grin before getting out. Aelin followed her, taking in the cracked, weed-sprouting cement of the road. She frowned and then turned her attention back to where Elide had found her boyfriend, Lorcan standing with Fenrys and Connall. No sight of Rowan anywhere.

“Well, well, well,” Fenrys drawled upon his eyes landing on Aelin. “If it isn’t little Miss Perfect. I hardly recognized you dressed like that.”

Despite his words, she found herself fighting back a smirk as she stepped up next to him. “It should be a privilege for you to see me dressed like this.”

Fenrys let out a laugh and swung an arm around her shoulders. She was slightly surprised, but the blonde man before her had always been the type not to consider people’s personal space.

“Tell me sweetheart, what did you do to get Whitethorn’s undies all in a bunch? He’s been moody all week, snapping at everyone,” Fenrys told her, eyes twinkling in the dim light.

“I didn’t do anything,” she scoffed. “He was the one that punched my cousin in the face.”

He chuckled. “So that’s what this is all about. If it makes you feel any better, Aedion managed to land a good blow on Rowan. Bruised a rib.”

Aelin blinked in surprise, eyebrows furrowing. “Is he okay?”

“He’s had worse,” Fen replied, lips twitching. “Be careful Aelin, it almost sounds like you care about him.”

She scowled at him but said nothing as her eyes scanned around the growing group of people that had come to watch the Cadre race. Motorcycles, sleek and expensive, were lined up on the road. Her eyes drifted over them and froze on a figure she knew all too well. Rowan was leaned against his motorcycle, a pale blonde between his legs, her hands on his chest. She watched as Remelle pulled him closer, her hands sliding under his jacket. Rowan smirked down at her, his hand coming up to drag a thumb across her lip, the same way he’d touched Aelin’s many nights ago. She watched the blonde giggle, pulling Rowan’s face down to hers and Aelin swiftly looked away, staring at a rock next to her foot.

“Hey.” She looked up at Fenrys’s face as his hand slid to her lower back and pulled her closer. His eyebrow was raised but she could see the look of concern in his eyes before it quickly morphed into amusement. “He finds her annoying,” he explained. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t care what he does, Fen. He can do whatever or whoever he wants,” she said primly.

“Sure thing, princess,” he smirked. “It didn’t look like you cared at all.”

She swatted his chest, glaring at him. He just laughed and wrapped both arms around her shoulders, her hands coming up to his sides.

“Wanna make him jealous?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“I am not kissing you, Fenrys Moonbeam,” she groaned, laughing.

“Don’t worry, it won’t even take that to get Whitethorn’s attention. In fact—” he cut off, giving a stupid grin over Aelin’s shoulder. “What’s up Whitethorn?”

Aelin spun around, seeing Rowan standing there, a cigarette in his mouth. His eyes roved over her, taking her in slowly, as if he wanted to burn the image of her into his mind.

“Thought this wasn’t your type of thing, golden girl,” he commented indolently, flicking his cigarette.

“I’m here with Elide,” she said simply, crossing her arms over her chest.

Before he could answer, a guy ran up to him and muttered in his ear before taking off again.

“I guess it’s time,” Rowan said to Fenrys.

“Wish me luck,” Fenrys winked at her and kissed her on the cheek before jogging to his motorcycle.

She scowled after him and then focused back on Rowan, who was just finishing up his cigarette. He took a step closer to her.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” she asked, nodding towards where the rest of his gang were putting on helmets.

“In a sec,” he replied, dropping the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. “Why are you here?”

Her jaw clenched. “Like I said, I’m here with—”

“I heard what you said, babygirl. But it doesn’t explain _why_ you’re here.”

He took another step closer to her, his chest brushing against her arms. His hands were in his damned leather jacket, his head cocked as he assessed her. She just looked up at him with an insolent gaze, refusing to back down.

“You just can’t stay away, can you?” he murmured, taking his hands out of his jacket and placing them on her hips, startling her. “You can be angry all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you still want me.”

Their noses were brushing now, and Aelin was sure her cheeks were bright pink. She hated him, hated the effect he had on her, hated that she loved the way his hands felt on her.

“I’m not here for you,” she whispered, lips a breath away from his.

He smiled as if they shared a secret, his eyes blazing into hers. He ran his thumb across her lip, a movement that had goosebumps erupting along her skin.

“Keep denying me all you want, baby,” he breathed. “But it won’t stop me from having you. Once I set my eyes on something, I won't stop until it’s mine.”

And with that, his lips were on hers, his hands tangling in her hair. He kissed her dangerously, as if he was playing with fire and couldn’t wait to get burned. Her hands gripped the collar of his jacket, kissing him back with the same burning intensity, sighing into the kiss. It was unnerving how kissing him felt so right when he was so wrong for her.

A sharp whistle cut through the air, and Rowan pulled back abruptly. Both of them were panting, and she was glad to see that the kiss had affected him as much as it had affected her.

“Gotta go,” he muttered. He pulled away and winked at her, just as Fenrys had. “Wish me luck.”

She stared after him, watching him intently as he got onto his motorcycle and started up the engine. Watched as a flag was waved and they took off down the old road. Watched until the tail lights disappeared and then she clenched her jaw and went back to Elide’s car, sitting in it until they finally left.

She was so screwed.


	4. Chapter Four

“Are we still doing the lake party if we win today?” 

Aelin stretched her arm across her chest, bouncing on her toes to stretch her calves. She was in her cheer uniform: a crop top, short skirt ensemble of forest green and gold. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and a small green “OU” was painted on her right cheek.

“Yeah, I believe so. Chaol and Ren are in charge of it, so ask them after the game,” Aelin told the cheerleader.

The bottle blonde nodded and then went to help another girl stretch out. Aelin sighed and met Lysandra’s gaze, the brunette wiggling her eyebrows at her. Aelin just rolled her eyes and swung her leg up on to Lysandra’s shoulder, stretching it out.

“You came in late last night,” Lysandra commented. “Where’d you go?”

“Elide roped me into going with her to watch the Cadre race motorcycles,” Aelin muttered.

The girls traded places, Lysandra bringing up her leg. “And?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” she grumbled.

Lysandra laughed and was about to say something when a couple of other girls gasped, nervous giggles fluttering around. Aelin turned to them, eyebrow raised, to see them all looking towards the student section.

“They never come to the games—”

“Why are they  _ here _ —”

Aelin turned in the direction they were looking and she blinked in surprise. Standing front row in the student section was the Cadre, all five of them. Rowan was in the middle, sunglasses blocking his gaze but she knew without a doubt that his eyes were trained on her. A cigarette hung between his lips despite the no smoking signs peppered around the stadium. A slight smirk sat on his face, an acknowledgement that he knew she saw him. She spun back around towards Lysandra, jaw clenched.

“I can’t believe him,” she growled, playing with her ponytail nervously. 

“Give him a show,” Lysandra purred, leaning down to touch her toes, her brows raised suggestively.

Aelin huffed a laugh but followed her lead, bending over, her fingers gripping the toes of her white shoes. The short skirt of her uniform rode up, revealing the forest green spandex underneath. It was one thing she wasn’t too fond of with the uniform, but now she had to admit it was coming in handy. She slowly came out of the stretch, hands trailing up her legs as she rested her hands on her hips and turned around, a bright smile on her face. Her eyes immediately landed on Rowan. 

His head was cocked to the side and she watched his thumb sweep across his bottom lip as he watched her. He huffed a laugh and nodded once. He knew exactly what she was doing, and he was enjoying it immensely. She gave a quick shrug and winked at him before turning back around and calling for the cheerleaders to get in formation. 

-

In typical OU fashion, the football team had handed University of Adarlan their asses. 

Now everyone was heading to the lake, where a huge party was going to be to celebrate the victory. Rowan Whitethorn hadn’t planned on going, but after seeing Aelin in her little cheer uniform, after seeing the way Westfall had his eyes on her any time his eyes weren’t on the game, he decided to change his mind. 

The Cadre had looked at him like he’d gone crazy when he suggested they go to the football game. They never attended things like that, were never involved in on campus activity. Fenrys gave him a knowing look, but they’d went anyway, everyone steering clear of them in the student section.

And there Aelin had been, in her revealing cheer uniform, the deep green complimenting her skin and the gold bringing out her fiery blue eyes. She looked like she was in her element, the popular, perfect head cheerleader she was always meant to be. 

And then she’d turned her back to him and stretched, and he realized she wasn’t as prim and perfect as she pretended to be. He had to admit he was equally surprised, amused, and turned on by her display for him. That short skirt had ridden up, revealing spandex that barely covered her whole ass, a sight he was sure every other male in the student section had zeroed in on. In that uniform, she was every male college student’s wet dream. A dream Rowan would probably have tonight. 

Now he was standing with Fenrys and Gavriel along the shore of the lake, eyes behind dark sunglasses, surveying the sheer amount of people around him. Connall had gone home, Lorcan was somewhere in the crowd with Elide. Gavriel was trying to politely get rid of a drunk girl that found him a little too interesting despite his stoic exterior. And Fenrys was talking Rowan’s ear off, though he’d tuned his friend out minutes ago. 

It shouldn’t have been hard to find the blonde he was looking for, but the place was pretty packed. It would be the last huge party before the weather started to get colder. A lot of people were in the water, playing catch or jumping off the floating dock in the middle. His eyes scanned over the half-naked bodies, about to give up and look somewhere else when he saw her. 

She had turned away from where she’d been talking to her friend and her cousin in the water, a grin on her face. She ducked under the water and surfaced near the shoreline, walking out of the water looking like a siren that had come on land to tempt all the men here. Water rolled off her body, which was clad in a simple black bikini, though her body was so perfect it didn’t need any embellishment. She looked like every wet dream he’d had come to life, a goddess that made all the other women he’d been with pale in comparison. Her golden hair was dripping wet and she pulled it over her shoulder to wring it out as she stepped onto the sand. 

His feet were already moving, pushing past Fenrys. Her gaze raised to meet his as he neared, a slight smirk resting on her face as he stopped in front of her. 

“Enjoy the game?” she asked airily, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. 

“I enjoyed it a lot,” he rumbled with a laugh, pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head. He took another step closer to her, close enough to be more than casual. “I also enjoyed the little show you gave me.”

He watched her mouth fall open slightly, watched as challenge flared in her eyes. She reached up and fingered the fabric of his shirt, allowing her finger to trail underneath the collar against his skin. 

“Anything for you,” she breathed, then removed her hand.

He caught it in his before she could pull away, dragging her to him so they were chest to chest. She let out a little gasp but didn’t try to move away.

“You also gained the attention of the whole male population in the student section,” he told her, tilting his head.

“Jealous?” she asked, twisting her free hand in his shirt.

He released one short laugh. “I don’t mind others looking. But,” he started, releasing her hand to grab her jaw lightly. “I don’t like sharing babygirl.” 

-

Aelin’s jaw would’ve dropped if Rowan hadn’t been holding it. The sheer dominance in his voice, the way he held her, the way his eyes darkened as he looked at her. She should’ve been annoyed with his possessive statement, but something in her tightened at his words. 

Before she could comment, his eyes flicked to something over her head. His jaw clenched and he released her, taking a healthy step back. She frowned and turned around, her frown deepening as she saw who was coming towards her. 

Chaol Westfall had always been attractive to her. With his messy dark brown hair and chestnut colored eyes, his tall and muscular frame, and winning smile, she had been hopelessly in love with him the moment he’d turned his attention to her. But things were different now, and the slight curl of his hair, the perfect smile, it all annoyed her to no end. His sense of propriety, his overbearing self confidence, his ability to make her feel small, it all set her teeth on edge.

“Hey,” he greeted almost shyly, stopping a couple of feet away from her. 

“What do you want Chaol?” she asked through her teeth.

He actually had the balls to look affronted. “I just wanted to say hi. See how you’re doing.” His eyes landed on the man behind her, slowly looking Rowan over before looking back to her. “Make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine,” she said loftily, waving her hand in the air as if to bat away his words. An idea flitted through her mind and she smiled at him sweetly, stepping back to rest against Rowan’s chest. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers, turning her body towards him while still looking towards her ex-boyfriend. “I’m more than fine, actually. Enjoy the rest of the party.”

She pulled Rowan away, fingers tangled with his as she led him toward the pickup truck that had music blasting through speakers sitting on the bed of it. She turned around to face him as she led him, grabbing his other hand and placing them on her waist.

“Dance with me,” she ordered him, a wild smirk painting her lips as a dirty, explicit rock song boomed through the speakers.

He shook his head and laughed at her, pulling her close as her hips moved way too sensually for such a public setting. He spun her around, chest to her back, hands roaming up and down her sides with touches that were anything but innocent.

“Dance  _ for _ me, golden girl,” he murmured in her ear, causing her to shiver. 

She rested her head against his shoulder as she molded herself to him, dancing with him, for him, eyes closing as the sun started to set in along the horizon.

-

Rowan held Aelin as they danced to a slow country song, her head against his chest. She’d thrown on a white lacy coverup once the sun had left, but she remained incredibly close to him as if to steal his body heat. Her eyes were closed as they swayed, and he fought a smile as he looked at her. 

The party had dwindled in size after the sun had set, people shouting out addresses for after parties. A bonfire flickered at the shore, but people were still slowly leaving. Fenrys had found him a half hour ago, a shit-eating grin on his face as he told him that he was heading out for the night. Rowan had flipped him off behind Aelin’s back.

“Let’s get out of here,” he murmured to her.

She raised her head to look at him, blue eyes lit up with the orange flames of the bonfire. She was so beautiful that sometimes it took his breath away.

“Lead the way,” she grinned. 

He held her hand as he led her towards the dirt path that still had cars lined up on it, pressing his key fob to find his car in the dark. The lights flashed and they got inside. He turned on the car and went to grab for the shift handle when Aelin’s hand reached out and turned the car back off, plunging them back into darkness. He looked over to her with a confused expression and her lips met his, confusion morphing to surprise. 

His hand came up to cup her cheek, slanting his lips over hers to kiss her deeper. It was always a surprise when she touched or kissed him, the way she felt sending sparks erupting along his skin every single time. She tasted and felt so good, so much that he swore he was addicted to her. 

She pulled back but kept her face close to his, eyes opening to look into his. He could barely make her out in the light of the moon, but he could see her chest heave and he took satisfaction in knowing she was affected just as much as he was.

“Remember the last time we were in your car?” she asked him, lips ghosting over his.

He could barely think straight when she was this close to him but he nodded, brow furrowing. Where was she going with this?

“Let’s relive that night, but a little differently this time,” she breathed into his mouth, capturing it with hers again.

He was going to short circuit, he was going to explode, he was going to light on fire as every thought emptied out of his head. She swung over the center console to perch in his lap, knees on either side of him as she wrapped her hands around his neck, fingers carding through the hair at the back of his head. His hands came up to grip her waist, bunching the fabric and pulling it up and over her head before connecting his mouth to her neck. 

She hummed in pleasure as her hands yanked his shirt off, fumbling with the button and zipper of his jeans. He chuckled against her skin, deftly untying the straps of her bikini top, throwing it into the backseat as his hands and mouth immediately focused on her chest. He coaxed soft moans from her lips as his tongue and teeth teased her nipple, his hand playing with the other. She pressed her hips against his and he released her nipple with a moan as she rubbed against his evident erection. 

Her fingers moved with renewed purpose as they quickly undid his pants, hand sliding into his underwear to palm his cock. He gasped against her mouth and she returned his earlier laugh, poking her tongue into his mouth to run along his teeth.

She reached down with her other hand and the seat slid back as far as it would go, allowing Aelin enough room on the car floor to kneel between his legs. He swore as he realized her intentions, swiftly pulling his pants and underwear down to his ankles. She rested her hands on his thighs and looked up at him beneath her lashes before wrapping her lips around his cock, taking him in her mouth. 

He groaned as she slid farther and farther down, his mouth falling open in surprise as her lips hit the base of him, the tip of his cock at the back of her throat. He never thought he’d see the day that a woman would be able to take his whole cock in her mouth. He shouldn’t have been surprised it would be the fiery cheerleader on her knees in front of him. She was always surprising him, he was always underestimating the wild creature that prowled underneath her perfect college girl facade. 

She bobbed up and down on him, tongue swirling around his length, the licking and sucking sensations driving him insane. Her hand cupped his balls and squeezed them lightly, the movement causing his hips to jerk forward. She gagged slightly but continued to pleasure him. His head fell back against the headrest, curses falling from his lips as he began to feel his muscles coil in preparation to come. 

“Aelin, I’m going to-” her eyes flicked up to his and she nodded, her lips hitting the base of him as her cheeks hollowed while she sucked him. 

The feeling of her teeth gently scraping up his length set him off, her name coming out of his mouth as he came into hers, her lips managing to pull up a smile despite him filling her mouth. He collapsed against the seat as she pulled off of him, planting a kiss on his tip that immediately had him hardening again. 

“Get up here,” he grumbled, manhandling her onto his lap.

A giggle cut off into a gasp as he yanked off her bottoms and entered her hard, seated to the hilt inside her. She was so hot and wet and tight, it took every inch of his self control not to orgasm again just at the mere fact of being the only man who’s been inside her. 

She began to move on him, up and down and back and forth as her lips found his neck, teeth digging into his skin. He gripped her hips and helped her slam down onto him, the sound of skin on skin causing his eyes to roll back. She let go of his neck and threw her head back, hands on his shoulders as she moved on him. He watched her as she bounced, his thumb finding her clit and rubbing it roughly. 

“Rowan,” she gasped out, tightening around him, drawing a groan from his throat. 

His free hand reached up to grip her hair at the back of her head, bringing her neck down to his mouth as he placed biting kisses along the sensitive flesh. He thrust up into her, thumb rolling the sensitive nub between her thighs, grinning at the noises that came out of her. He pulled away from her neck and forced her to look at him, grabbing her jaw firmly as he looked into her eyes, hooded with lust. 

“Come for me babygirl. Let me feel you. Let me hear you,” he ordered, voice rough. 

Her eyes squeezed shut, mouth falling open as she called out his name, her walls spasming around his cock as she let go, crashing for him. He fucked her faster, the pace and her tightness bringing him over the edge as he came on the tail end of her orgasm, his mouth finding hers as pleasure overtook them.

Minutes or hours later, he wasn’t aware of time, she pulled back from where her face had been buried in his neck. She ran her hand gently over his face, planting a soft kiss to his mouth. She kissed him a few times before wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“I hope you’re aware that people are gonna start talking after today,” he muttered to her, not wanting to ruin the post sex mood, but needing to know what she was thinking.

She let out a little hum as her eyes roved over her face, index finger tracing the shape of his lips.

“Let them,” she said, planting one more kiss to his lips before climbing off him, throwing her cover up back on and buckling herself into the seat. 

Eyebrows raised, he looked over to her where she had a small smile on her face. 

“They’re going to know you’re my girl now,” he continued, as if pushing her to change her mind. 

Aelin reached out and ran a finger down his jaw before leaning over to kiss him slowly, languidly.

“I’m your girl,” she breathed against his lips.

He grinned against her mouth and pulled away, starting the car and beginning the drive to her apartment.

“You’re nothing but trouble Aelin Galathynius.”

  
  



	5. Chapter Five

Aelin watched Rowan as he slept, his breathing even, his whole body relaxed as his legs were tangled with hers. She pushed his hair back, pressing soft kisses to his face to slowly wake him up.

“Good morning,” she cooed to him as his eyes fluttered open, not stopping as she trailed kisses down his jaw.

“Good morning to you too, golden girl,” he muttered sleepily, head turning so his lips brushed against hers. 

“Not a morning person?” she laughed, planting a big kiss on his lips before pulling away.

“I might be if I get to keep waking up to you,” he replied, causing her to giggle when he rolled on top of her, attacking her with kisses.

Hours later, after Lysandra had already banged on her door and told her she was heading to the field, Aelin groaned as she got out of bed, pulling her uniform out of her closet. She dressed as Rowan did too. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and checked them time. She had just over an hour before she needed to be on the field to get the cheerleaders into formation. 

“Are you going to go to the game?” she asked him, beginning to stretch out, fingers touching the tips of her toes. 

“Do you want me to go?”

She looked up at him, smiling. “I mean… people might talk. They’re gonna know you’re mine.”

He smirked as she threw his words from last night back at him. He came up to her as she came out of her stretch, looking down at her. 

“Yours, huh?” he asked. 

She cocked her head and then swung her leg up onto his shoulder, leaning into him. 

“Yes,” she murmured to him, flashing him a flirty smile.

His hand wrapped around her ankle while the other gripped her jaw, his lips coming close to hers. His eyes latched onto hers, glazing with predatory intent.

“And whose are you, babygirl?” he breathed.

Her core tightened at his tone and she made to pull away from him but he didn’t let go, just gripping her jaw tighter, a sensual smile painted across his face. She knew that smirk meant trouble. The hand that had been at her ankle trailed up her thigh, fingers going right between them, cupping her clothed center. Her breathing quickened, mouth falling open as he openly caressed her.

“Is this mine?” he asked, fingers deftly sliding underneath her spandex to slide between her folds. 

A soft moan escaped her, eyes fluttering shut.

“Are you mine, baby?” One swift move and two fingers were inside of her. She clenched around them, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “Answer me.”

“Yes,” she breathed, gasping as his mouth moved on hers. “I’m all yours.”

He hummed and then she was on the floor, his hands sliding her spandex off and bringing her leg up near her head, stretching her to her limits.

“You’re going to be late to the game.”

-

Aelin was five minutes late, only seconds away from kickoff. She muttered useless apologies as she quickly got the girls in formation and began to run them through their opening stunts. Lysandra flashed her a shit-eating grin every time their eyes met. 

It was a struggle to keep her focus, especially because she knew the source of her distraction was front and center in the student section, his little gang on either side of him. Knew he was watching her and only her behind those dark sunglasses. 

The whole game passed by in a blur and before she knew it, everyone was cheering and entering the field as Orynth University won their last game of the season. She cheered and jumped up and down with the other cheerleaders, a genuine smile on her face as she watched all the students and the team hug and clap each other on the back. Her eyes looked for Rowan and found him leaned up against the wall before the student section, a cigarette unlit in his mouth, a slight grin on his face. She dropped her pompoms and ran over to him, squealing in delight as he caught her in his arms, spinning her around. 

She laughed as she planted kisses on his face, her happiness real. The season had ended with a win, her commitment to the cheer team was now over for the rest of the year, and she had a gorgeous new man as her boyfriend. 

He set her down and kissed her deeply, her fingers twisting into his jacket as she pulled him closer. She was about to lose herself in him when surprised giggles and loud whispers had her drawing away from him. She turned her head to see most of her team staring at her, faces in various displays of shock. Even some students and football players had turned their attention to where she was tangled up in Rowan. 

“Now they really know you’re mine,” he whispered in her ear.

Grinning, she turned back to him and gave him a big kiss.

-

She’d lost Rowan. They’d only been here an hour, but she was already tipsy. She’d yelled into his ear that she was going to get another drink and didn’t wait for his response as she’d pushed through the crowd towards the kitchen. Now she was on her tiptoes trying to find his silver head. She sighed and held her cup up to be filled.

Downing her drink, she turned back around to find her way back to Rowan but ended up tripping over someone’s foot, sending her falling forward. She closed her eyes and waited for the burn of the cheap carpet across her face but it didn’t come. Two firm hands grabbed her arms, halting her halfway down. 

“Wow, you’re literally falling for me. You come here often?”

She looked up at her savior, slightly stunned at how handsome he was. His brown hair was pulled back in a man bun, and his crystal clear blue eyes shined with mirth as he smirked at her. She gave him a smile of her own, laughing shakily as he returned her back to an upright position. 

“Thank you. Gods, I can be clumsy sometimes,” she muttered, her head swimming slightly with all the alcohol she’d drank. “But yes, I go to school here. And you?” He didn’t look familiar.

“Nope, I’m just passing through. Cairn,” he greeted, putting out a hand for her to shake.

She smiled and shook it. “Aelin.”

“So Aelin, Orynth University’s head cheerleader huh?”

“I thought you said you didn’t go here,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him playfully.

He laughed. “I did. A couple years ago. Though the head cheerleader then wasn’t as pretty as you.”

She blushed, about to politely tell him she had a boyfriend when shouts broke out, directing their attention to the living room. Eyebrows furrowing, she quickly realized two people were in a fight. Two people she knew extremely well.

“Oh my gods,” she groaned, turning back to Cairn. “I’m so sorry, I have to go.”

“Yeah, you should. Looks like your boyfriend if getting the shit beat out of him,” he said.

She looked back to see Chaol’s face bloodied up, his fists weakly beating against Rowan’s chest. 

“Gods no, my boyfriend is the one doing the beating unfortunately,” she growled, and when she turned back to offer another apology to Cairn, he was gone. 

Shrugging and already forgetting about him, she pushed back through the crowd to see Rowan lean down to whisper something in Chaol’s ear. Whatever he’d said must’ve pissed off her ex-boyfriend because time seemed to slow down as Chaol turned his head towards Rowan and spit blood in his face. She watched as Rowan’s face turn ice cold, watched as his fist drew back as far as it could go.

Swearing, she ran for him, grabbing his arm and holding it back as she talked to him. 

“Rowan, stop!”

“Let go of me Aelin. I don’t want to hurt you,” he growled, almost inhuman as his eyes stayed locked on Chaol.

She yanked on his arm, trying to get his attention turned towards her. “Ro, stop. He’s not worth it. Look at me.”

So fast she couldn’t react, he shook her off and slammed his fist into Chaol’s jaw. She screamed in surprise, shocked that Chaol wasn’t unconscious or dead from the force of Rowan’s blows.

“Rowan, stop!” She grabbed his arm again, using the momentary distraction of her scream to yank him half off of the other guy. “Baby,  _ please. _ Come back to me.”

This time, his head turned to her, eyes blazing into hers. There was nothing but pure rage in them, the green of his eyes almost like acid as they burned into hers. She had never seen such rage from anyone before, her skin pebbling at the fear that ran through her. Hands shaking, she grabbed his face and pulled him close to her. 

“Whatever he said doesn’t matter. He’s not worth it. Listen to my voice,” she murmured to him, stroking his cheek, Chaol’s blood smearing over his skin. “I don’t care about him. Let this go.”

It took a few moments, but she watched the rage retreat, watched as a cold detachment took its place. Sighing, she kissed him once and then pulled back, taking his hands. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” she muttered, pulling him past the fearful, shocked crowd that had gathered and out the door. 

They quickly walked down a few blocks to Aelin’s apartment, Rowan silent the whole way there. He said nothing as she led him through the house and into her bathroom, didn’t say anything as she told him to sit on top of the toilet. She ran a washcloth under warm water and began wiping at his face, relieved to see that he seemed to be unharmed. His eyes were on her as she worked, rinsing out the cloth every so often until his face was clean. She then turned to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, eyes roaming his face. It was still cold, shut off even from her despite his arms slinging around her waist to bring her close.

“What did he do? What did he say to you?” she asked gently, running a hand through his hair, mussing it up. 

His jaw clenched. “Nothing worth repeating.”

She raised a brow at him and he sighed, glaring off to the side. His jaw worked for a moment.

“I could’ve handled what he said about me. But then he started insulting you, and that’s where the line was crossed,” he told her. 

She had expected something like that had happened. “What did he say about me?”

“I should go back there and finish him,” he said savagely, as if he hadn’t heard her, standing up abruptly, causing Aelin to stumble back a bit.

She grabbed his arms, turning him back to her. 

“No, you should not go back there. You better hope he doesn’t press charges. You fucked up his face pretty bad, Rowan.”

His fists clenched and unclenched and he yanked away from her, storming out of the bathroom. Perplexed at why he was so angry, she followed him, watched as he started undressing in her room, her confusion only deepening. 

“What, pray tell, are you doing?” she asked him, shutting the door and locking it in case Lysandra or Elide came home early. 

“I need-” he shook his head, dropping his pants. “I need out of my skin. I need to-” he turned to her and her mouth ran dry at the darkening of his eyes, the way they trailed over her body. “Come here.”

Licking her lips, she came up to him, gasping as he grabbed her up in his arms and pushed her against the wall. Completely naked, his hands made quick work of getting her naked too. When she was in nothing but skin, he pulled back, running his thumb over his lips as his eyes raked out of here.

“I’m going to fuck you hard, babygirl,” he told her and her mouth fell open at his words. “And I want you to tell me if it gets to be too much.” She gasped as his thumb swirled around her clit, running his fingers through her folds to build her up. He looked back up at her, not ceasing his ministrations. “Understand?”

She nodded and he grabbed her cheeks between his hand, stopping her. 

“I want to hear you say it.”

Holy fucking gods. “I’ll tell you to stop if it gets to be too much,” she whispered. 

He nodded once in confirmation and then plunged into her, pressing her against the wall as she cried out. She could barely breathe as he slammed into her again and again, the force of his thrusts blurring the line between pain and pleasure as his hands gripped her thighs hard enough to leave marks, a hazy thought that just fueled her fire as her hands scratched welts up his back and over his shoulders. Her head fell back, almost animalistic noises escaping her mouth as she listened to the sound of skin on skin, cried out as Rowan’s mouth found her neck and bit along the soft, sensitive flesh. 

She realized that he needed this, needed to release his anger in a way that wasn’t destructive. She could feel the stress in his shoulders melt away as his pace increased, one hand coming up to her throat to grab it lazily. When his eyes met hers, his hand squeezing her neck slightly, not enough to be uncomfortable but enough to make her eyes widen, she saw nothing but blown pupils, unadulterated lust in his gaze as his mouth captured hers. He groaned into her mouth when she purposely tightened around him, swearing filthily as he bit her lip. 

He pulled her from the wall and fell down in a heap on her bed, his thrusts not as hard as his pace decreased, fucking her slower and deeper, the anger completely gone as he kissed her thoroughly, his fingers coming down to play with her clit. She arched against him begging him to take more more more as his fingers quickly unraveled her, the crest of her pleasure in sight as her eyes closed shut and she shattered for him, him quickly following as he released himself inside her. His weight collapsed on top of her as they shook, but she didn’t mind and she held him tight, her toes curled against the sheets.

She lay there with his head on her chest, her fingers tracing patterns on his shoulders as they came down together. 

“Are you going to tell me what he said?” she murmured to him, not wanting to ruin the post-sex mood, but wanting to know what had set him off. 

He sighed and kissed her chest before looking at her, resting on his arms above her. “He called you damaged goods, said now you were just the gang’s whore now that you’d allowed yourself to be with someone like me.”

He had ended the sentence with such a self-loathing that she frowned, running her fingers over the cupid’s bow of his lips. 

“What Chaol says about me doesn’t matter anymore. He’s not who I’m with, he’s not who I want to be with,” she told him, sliding her hand up his jaw. “And what he says about you shouldn’t matter either.” She leaned up and kissed him, hoping to kiss away the hate he had clearly held for himself. “I’m with you, Rowan. I want to be with you. Nothing else matters.”

His throat bobbed and he nodded, kissing her again and again and again before he pulled back and knelt above her, hands running down her body. As his thumb flicked over her nipple, he said:

“Let me show you how much I worship you.”

  
  



	6. Chapter Six

Aelin ran up the steps to the police department and pushed her way into the building, waving to Gladys, the older, motherly receptionist that had been in her life for as long as she could remember. 

“Hi honey! How is school?” Gladys asked her, pushing her bejeweled glasses back up her nose.

“It’s good. Only halfway through the semester, but our football team kicked ass this season,” she told her, digging through the candy jar that sat on the counter.

“I saw that!” Gladys said cheerily, but then sniffed. “And how’s that fuddy duddy ex boyfriend of yours? Still being a twat?”

Aelin snorted. “I knew there was a reason I love you so much, Gladys. Is my dad here?”

“He’s about to go talk to someone they arrested last night, but I can catch him before he goes in?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just wait for him,” she told the receptionist, unwrapping a mint and popping it into her mouth.

The phone rang then and Gladys answered it, leaving Aelin to cast her gaze around the first floor of the department. The bullpen only held a few delinquents, probably people that had been thrown in there to sober up. Some interrogation rooms were on this floor as well, quiet rooms to talk to people that might have been the victim of a burglary or were accused of petty theft. Her eyes roved over some of the windows looking into the rooms, and they froze on one window in the back corner. Her lips parted in surprise, her eyebrows furrowed as she recognized the person sitting on one side of the metal table. 

Her feet were moving before she even thought about it, heading for the room. She got to the door at the same time her father did, Rhoe Galathynius’s expression slightly surprised to see his daughter about to enter the room. 

“Aelin? What are you doing here?” he asked, his brown hair slightly mussed.

“I- uh-” she searched for an answer, eyes casting back to the window. 

“What is it? You recognize that guy?” he asked, all police officer. 

“Yeah, I’ve seen him around…” she trailed off and then turned to her dad. “Can I talk to him? He might be willing to talk to me. I can see if I can get him to confess.”

Her father frowned, deliberating and trying to figure out  _ how _ , exactly, his perfect daughter knew the cuffed man in the room. “We’ve been trying to crack him all day, but he won’t talk.”

Her eyes slipped back to the man sitting in the room. She knew he couldn’t see her, the glass being one way. “What’s he in for?”

“Pulled him over for failure to yield. No license plates, no registration. All signs of street racing, so he might be part of the Cadre but he won’t talk.” 

The name clanged through her. The name that Rowan and his friends called themselves.

“The Cadre?” she asked, eyes still on the man. “Who are they?”

“The Cadre is a gang in the city, and we’ve been trying to shut down their street racing antics as of late. They’ve been on the streets vying for power with another gang for a couple years now. No one knows that they exist because the police department is trying to keep it quiet. We don’t need the city knowing that there’s a gang going around killing people and doing crime.”

Every thought emptied out of Aelin’s head. 

A gang. Not just a group of delinquent young men making petty cash off of street racing and selling drugs on campus. Rowan’s little group that everyone on campus called the Cadre, was an actual gang, committing crime and running from her father, who had been trying to catch them for years now. And no one knew the truth. Everyone on campus thought they were just a group of troublemakers. Her father and the police department… they had no clue. They had no idea that the gang they were looking for was right on Orynth University’s campus, and that one of their members was sleeping with the captain’s daughter.

“Let me talk to him,” she demanded, her voice cold. 

She didn’t look to her father as he unlocked the door and let her in, shutting it behind her after telling her to shout if she needed anything. She leaned against the door, arms across her chest, face devoid of emotion as she stared at the tan, curly blonde-haired man sitting at the table, head propped up on a fist, silver cuffs clasped on each wrist. 

“Hey princess,” Fenrys drawled, flashing her a smirk. 

“Cut the bullshit, Fen. You’re going to answer my questions, and then pray that I can convince my dad to let you off with a warning,” she hissed, sitting down across from him. 

“I’ll get out of here whether your dad lets me or not, but go ahead and ask.” His insolent tone made her grit her teeth but she stared him down.

“Is it true? That you and Rowan and everyone else are in a gang?”

He nodded, face now looking a little wary. Her breath left her as she sagged back in her chair, staring blankly at the metal table. What the hell had she gotten herself into? She knew that Rowan was by no means a perfect person, but to be in a gang… Her father could never find out. Because if he did… she couldn’t even imagine the shit storm that would be coming for her if he did. 

“And Rowan didn’t want to fucking mention this to me before I started to date him?” she demanded. “I’m the daughter of Orynth PD’s captain!”

“That’s something you need to talk to Whitethorn about,” Fenrys told her. “He had his reasons for not telling you. And no, I couldn’t have told you. He’s the boss. He gives orders, and we obey.”

She put her head in her hands. Holy gods, she was in so much trouble. She was the golden girl, the perfect, do-no-wrong head cheerleader that had a clean driving record and straight A’s. And now she was messing around with probably one of the deadliest criminals in Terrasen. She was so fucked. 

And then a thought hit her, shocking and nasty as it clouded her mind. 

“He’s not…” she shook her head, looking back at Fenrys. “He’s not dating me  _ because _ my dad is the captain, is he? Like, he doesn’t think it offers him protection or anything, does he?”

Fenrys barked a laugh. “Definitely not, princess. He knows nothing can protect him from the law, even the captain’s daughter. No, he’s dating you because he wants to.”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fucking gods… where is he? Is he at the frat house?”

Fenrys shrugged. “Er… no. He’s somewhere else, waiting for me to get out of here.”

She glared at him. “And how do you plan on getting out, Fen? My dad wants to book you for being in the gang.”

He just shrugged again and she sighed heavier this time, closing her eyes. She thought to herself for a moment before opening her eyes again and staring at him. 

“This is what you’re going to do,” she said, the tone of her voice not asking to be compromised with. 

-

Aelin pulled up to the side of the road, a few houses down from the address Fenrys had given her. She was in a foreclosed neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, all the houses empty and unattended for years. It was a neighborhood she wouldn’t be caught dead in, not during the day and definitely not at night. 

She had to admit, it was the perfect place for the Cadre to hide out. No one ever came out here unless they were meeting up to do organized crime. Which, coincidentally, was what her boyfriend and his friends were doing. 

She eyed the house as she got out. There were no cars anywhere on the street except hers, no signs that there was any activity inside the house as she came up to the porch steps. She slowly crept up the steps, frowning as she eyed the front of the house. For a place that semed to be their illegal hang out, it didn’t seem to be very well secured. She didn’t see any cameras anywhere, and the door handle even looked broken. 

Raising a slightly shaking hand, she banged her fist against the chipped-paint door. She paused, hearing nothing on the other side and then banged again. Her fist only hit twice before the door swung open and she was staring down the black barrel of a handgun. 

She froze, eyes widening as her gaze shot to the person wielding the gun. Rowan stood there in jeans and a fitted black t-shirt, the hoop in his nose glinting and a cigarette hanging from his lips. A cigarette that dropped to the ground as his mouth fell open in surprise, his eyes flaring with surprise as he realized who he was pointing a firearm at. He swore and shoved it into his jeans, grabbing her arm and pulling her inside. 

“What the fuck was that for?” she demanded, fear and incredulity coloring her voice as she faced him. 

“I couldn’t see you in the security camera. Better to be safe than sorry,” he explained, locking the door. “I wasn’t expecting to see my girlfriend at the end of my gun.”

Aelin placed a hand to her forehead, staring at him before scoffing and taking in her surroundings. Despite the outside of the house looking poor and unkempt, the inside was not. The place was furnished, even had a flatscreen TV that displayed a split screen that looked like a video feed for security cameras. High-end technology was everywhere, from cameras to weapons to things she had no idea what their function was. 

“What are you doing here, love?” he asked. “How did you find this place?”

She whirled on him, hands on her hips. “I ran into Fenrys at the police department today. Definitely saved his ass from going to jail by the way.”

His eyes closed, swearing under his breath before pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah, Rowan. Imagine my surprise at seeing my boyfriend’s friend cuffed to a gods damned table in an interrogation room!”

“Aelin-”

“Oh no, you don’t get to talk,” she spat. “What the fuck is going on, Rowan? Why did I have to find out from Fenrys that you guys are a gang? And on top of that, you’re a gang that my dad has been spending the last couple of years trying to  _ stop _ . You’re on his shit list, Rowan!”

“Love, I-”

She huffed an incredulous laugh. “And then, here I am thinking you guys are just a group of troublemakers. Everyone on campus calls you the Cadre for gods’ sake. My  _ dad _ calls you the Cadre. And he hasn’t even made the connection. No one has. Fucking hell, Rowan, what is going on?”

“Your father is right,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m in a gang. We are a gang.”

She didn’t know why the words surprised her. Maybe she had hoped that she was living some fever dream, that there was no connection between her boyfriend and his friends and the gang that her father was hunting down. She couldn’t believe this. She was in so much shit, and she had no idea how to get out of it.

“How dare you!” she screeched, pounding at his chest. “You. Utter. Ass! How could you do this to me?”

He let her hit him for another moment before gripping her wrists, pulling her close to him. She fought against him for a second before realizing it was useless. He could probably snap her neck before she even lay a hand on him again. The thought chilled her to her core.

“Aelin, please,” he begged. “This doesn’t change anything.”

“Of course it changes things! It changes  _ everything _ , Rowan,” she sobbed. “I can’t keep dating you. You’re a gang leader. My dad wants you in jail. I’m the captain’s daughter, I can’t be seen with you. You’re everything my father tries to keep me away from.”

“You’re not breaking up with me, golden girl.”

“How can this work! Rowan, you’re in the streets doing gods know what. I’m the perfect, do-no-wrong resident good girl. This isn’t going to work,” she told him, trying to yank her wrists form his tight grip. 

“You’re running because you’re scared,” he told her, his voice dark. “You’re scared of what you feel for me and now that you have an excuse to leave, you’re going to run with it.”

She couldn’t think, couldn’t even begin to sort through how her life had suddenly become so complicated. She especially found it hard to concentrate with him so close, looking handsome despite his plain clothes, the scent of him, of pine and mint and tobacco, so familiar and comforting to her. 

She shook her head. “Rowan, I can’t… I need time to think. I can’t be with you right now.”

His grip on her loosened, his eyes flaring with shock and what looked like pain, and she tried so hard to ignore it as she pulled her wrists from his hands. “Please, Aelin.”

“Don’t,” she said, voice shaking. “I can’t- give me space. I’ll call you later.”

She spun on her heel and ran out the door and to her car, tires squealing as she tore out of the neighborhood and back to her apartment, tears streaming down her face the whole way home. 

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

“You’re pathetic.”

Aelin pulled the blanket off her face and glared at her best friend. Lysandra was standing at the foot of her bed, arms crossed and a bemused look on her pretty face. 

“What happened?” Lys asked for the fourth time this week.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Aelin muttered for the fourth time this week. 

Lysandra put her hands on her hips. “Fine. But you’re not going to lay in bed all weekend and mope around. Let’s go out to dinner.”

“Lys,” Aelin sighed.

“We’re leaving in ten minutes so get your ass up!” Her friend chirped and left the room. 

Groaning, Aelin flipped back her sheets and got out of bed. She grabbed some clothes and locked herself in the bathroom. Leaning against the sink counter to look at herself in the mirror, she frowned. 

Dark circles sat under her eyes, and her face seemed pale. Even her blonde hair looked lifeless. It had been almost a week since she’d ran out of the Cadre’s home, asking Rowan to give her space as she tried to sort out the shit she’d gotten herself into. 

And clearly she was miserable without him, despite that being with him would create a whole new set of complications. 

Sighing, she turned her back to her reflection and got dressed. 

-

Lysandra had taken her to one of the nicer pubs that some college kids went to. College football was playing on the different TV screens, cheering erupting every so often at the bar. The hostess led them to a booth further away from the noise. 

“This is fun,” Lysandra said cheerfully, flipping open the menu. 

Aelin rolled her eyes. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”

“Who, me?” Lys asked innocently, batting her lashes. “I would never deceive you into telling me what happened by taking you to dinner.”

A laughed passed Aelin’s lips and she shook her head. Lysandra grinned and then grinned wider as an averagely handsome waiter came up to the table to take their order. Her friend wiggled her brows at Aelin, looking between the waiter and her. Aelin struggled to keep from laughing as the waiter winked at her before taking the menu from her hands. 

“Stop it,” Aelin laughed when the waiter was out of earshot. “I’m not interested.”

“Of course not,” Lys sighed dramatically. “You’re into intimidating guys that look like they run a crime ring.”

Aelin tried not to flinch at how spot on Lysandra was. But her face must’ve given something away, because Lysandra’s eyes softened. 

“You don’t have to tell me all the details. But I want to know what happened. I want to be there for you,” Lysandra murmured to her. 

“It’s just…” Aelin sighed and propped her chin up on her hand. “He’s a bit more… dangerous than I thought he was. He’s got a side of him that he hides away. And I’m afraid that this side of him will end up hurting me in more ways than one.”

Lysandra placed her hand on Aelin’s that still rested on the table. “I’m sorry, A. I know he and his gang do some not very legal stuff. For gods’ sake, your dad is trying to shut down their street racing.”

“Yeah,” Aelin muttered. “It’s not like I can bring him home to my parents. My dad would have to arrest him.”

Lysandra snorted and then the two fell into a fit of giggles. They managed to stop for long enough to dig into the food the flirty waiter brought. Halfway through dinner, Aelin was finally beginning to relax and feel happier than she had all week, when Lysandra tensed up and her eyes narrowed. 

Aelin followed her gaze to see Rowan and Fenrys come in through the front door, heading for the bar. Her heart sank and she immediately looked down at her food. Shit. 

Her head shot up when she felt Lysandra get up from the booth. 

“Lys, what are you–” She scrambled out of the booth as her friend headed towards the bar. “Lysandra!”

Aelin managed to grab Lysandra’s arm just as she came up to Rowan, getting in his face and shaking Aelin off her. Rowan actually took a step back, surprise on his face as Lysandra’s smaller frame dug a finger into his chest. 

“Listen,  _ asshole _ . She won’t tell me what you did but if you’re fucking around with my best friend, I don’t care how big and bad and dangerous you are, I  _ will _ kick your ass. Understood?”

Rowan and Fenrys stood there, mouths slightly agape. Aelin tugged on Lysandra’s arm again. 

“Lys please,” Aelin murmured. 

The brunette turned to Aelin. “I think you can handle it from here. I’m going to stop by the house to hang out with Aedion. But if you need me, call me and I’ll be back home in less than ten minutes.”

She turned back to glare at Rowan before wrapping Aelin in a hug and heading out. Aelin watched her figure leave and then turned to Rowan, who was watching her with one eyebrow raised. 

“Um… hi,” Aelin said lamely. 

“Hey golden girl,” he greeted back, the rasp of his voice sliding along her skin sinfully. 

“Well,” Fenrys drawled, clapping Rowan’s shoulder. “That’s my cue to head out. I’ll see you later boss.”

Fen winked at her before heading out, leaving Aelin and Rowan staring awkwardly at each other. 

“Can I… uh, can I get you a drink?” Rowan asked, gesturing to the bar before them. 

“Oh, um. No thank you, I’m fine,” Aelin stuttered. The waiter that had been serving them walked by and she grabbed his arm to stop him. “I’m sorry, but can I get the bill for my dinner?”

“No problem, love,” he grinned at her. 

She smiled back politely and then turned back to Rowan to see him watching the waiter walk away, eyes dark. She almost rolled her eyes. 

“Do you… want to go somewhere? And maybe talk?” she asked him. 

He turned his attention to her, eyes softening. “Yeah that would be great.”

Before she could respond, the waiter came back with a receipt and he stood next to her as Aelin quickly wrote down a tip and signed. 

“Come back soon,” he winked as she handed the bill back to him. 

“You need to back off before I put a bullet in you,” Rowan growled, coming up to put a proprietary arm around her. 

The young man stuttered out an apology and quickly walked away. Aelin shoved Rowan away from her.

“Rowan, you can’t just threaten to shoot someone for  _ flirting _ with me,” she hissed at him. “We’re not even together.”

She turned to head out of the pub, but not before she saw his jaw clench as he followed her out. Her own teeth grinded together as she tried to keep her calm. She stormed towards his motorcycle but was stopped short as Rowan grabbed her arm and spun her towards him. 

“You can’t get mad at me for protecting what’s mine. I’ve threatened a lot worse before,” he told her. 

“What’s yours?” she demanded, disbelief coloring her tone. “Are you  _ actually  _ insane? Do you hear the words you’re saying to me right now? We’re not together. You can’t just go around threatening to shoot people.”

He rolled his eyes at her and grabbed a helmet off his bike. “I can do whatever I want, princess.”

“Oh my god, you  _ are _ crazy. Actually certified fucking insane.” She couldn’t believe him. 

“I’m not. You’re being dramatic,” he muttered, coming up to her and reaching to put the helmet on her head. 

Despite her better judgement, she flinched away, a small movement that was almost unnoticeable but of course Rowan noticed. Shock flared across his face and he lowered the helmet. 

“Are you scared of me?” he asked, voice slightly incredulous.

“Will you leave me alone if I say yes?” Her voice was quiet, but the nervous bounce of her foot gave her away. 

He blinked ins surprise and then his eyebrows furrowed. Running a hand down his face and then sighing, he nodded. “Yes. I will.”

His answer wasn’t what she was expecting. She would’ve ran away, perhaps run to her father, if he had said no, but he respected her enough to obey her wishes. Even if it included never wanting to see him again. 

Still, it didn’t excuse the massive part of his life that went against everything she had even known and believed in.

She sighed. “No, Rowan, I’m not scared of you. I think you’re dangerous, and sometimes a dumbass, but I’m not scared of you.” 

A tiny smile flickered across his mouth before he stepped up to her, taking her face in his hands. Before she could stop him, he leaned down and pressed a kissed to her lips, warm and soft and innocent.

He pulled back, running a thumb across her cheek. “Then please. Come home with me. We can talk.”

The slight tinge of desperation in his tone squeezed her heart. “Okay.”

He secured her into her helmet and told her to hold on tight as he sped off into the night. She couldn’t help the giddy feeling that bubbled up in her at the sensation of being on the back of Rowan Whitethorn’s motorcycle, her arms wrapped tight around him. 

Over too soon, he pulled into the driveway of the rundown house at the outskirts of town. He helped her out of her helmet and twined his fingers with hers as he led her into the house and up the stairs. She was still surprised at how nice the house was on the inside despite how dilapidated it looked on the outside. 

He pushed open the door to what she assumed was his room, shutting it behind him. The room was simple yet clean. Though she swore the sheets on his bed were silk. She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around herself. He was leaned against the door, a thumb running across his lip, his eyes dark as he watched her. A look she knew all too well. 

“ _ Talk _ , right?” she emphasized, raising a brow at him. 

He smirked. “Yes, golden girl. Talk.”

“Rowan,” she warned. 

He sighed, dropping the seductive stance. “Go ahead, love.”

She worried her lip as she tried to find the words she wanted to say. 

“You’re… you and your gang, you guys go against everything I’ve ever learned and believed. I’m the police chief’s daughter, I’ve never done anything illegal besides underage drinking.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how this can work out, Rowan. It’s not like I can take you home to my parents.”

“So… what. You’re embarrassed by me?” he asked.

She scowled. “That’s not it, and you know it.” She sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. “You’re in a gang, Rowan. An actual gang. Vying for power in my dad’s city. My city. He’s out to stop you. He wants to see all of you in prison forever. And even if my dad wasn’t an issue…”

She looked up at him, him having moved to stand in front of her. 

“I have no doubt in my mind that if I stayed with you, I would get hurt.”

He dropped onto his knees in front of her, his hands on her thighs. “I would never hurt you, Aelin–”

She cut him off. “I know. I know you wouldn’t hurt me. At least not physically. But Rowan. If I stay with you, if it becomes a regular thing that I’m your girlfriend… My dad says you’re at war with another gang in the city. I’m now a target. My friends are targets. My family is a target. I’m in danger just by being with you.”

“You think I don’t know that? You think I hadn’t already thought about it?” he asked her. “The morning after I had you in my bed, I had my guys watching you, your apartment, your parent’s house. I’d never let anything happen to you.”

She was slightly taken aback. She had never once noticed… Fenrys. Fenrys was in a few of her classes. Looking back, she’d seen him around more often than usual. She figured it was because she was with Rowan and she knew to look for Fen’s face. She never would’ve guessed Rowan would’ve assigned him to be her bodyguard. 

Her eyes roved over his face. It was open and honest, and it made her heart break even further for what she was about to do.

“I can’t do this Rowan,” she whispered, tears prickling in her eyes. “It’s too dangerous to be with you. I’m sorry.”

She leaned in to take his stunned face in her hands, kissing him gently, one last time, before she let him go. She made to get up, but he grabbed her hips and planted her right back on the bed, laying her down, hands running under her shirt and along her bare skin.

“Let me show you what you’ll be missing then,” he purred against her ear before capturing her mouth with his. 

Every thought emptied out of her head, her body, her need for him, overtaking every ounce of sense she’d had. They fought to get the other out of their clothes, Rowan securing her hands above her head as soon as they were both skin on skin. He kissed down her body, her legs falling open naturally for him as he wasted no time devouring her. 

Incomprehensible mumblings fell from Aelin’s lips as he pleasured her, that sinful tongue and mouth of his knowing just how to elicit the right reactions. Her hands tightened in his hair as his tongue slid between her folds, his mouth wrapping around her clit. 

His name spilled out of her mouth as she came undone, her head thrown back as she shook. Rowan kissed back up her body, mouth gently assaulting her nipples before coming up to kiss her deeply, roughly, the taste of her intertwined with the taste of him. She groaned into his mouth, scraping her nails up his back, hard enough to leave welts. 

When his cock slid along her folds and then entered her slowly, she forgot her name, forgot about everything besides how good he felt inside her. She wondered if she would even be able to give this up, the feeling that they belonged together, their bodies in perfect sync as Rowan began to pick up his pace. 

“Look at me, babygirl,” he murmured when her eyelids fluttered shut. 

She did, eyes connecting with those deep green ones of his, startled to find something that looked a lot like love and adoration in them. The emotions she saw had her cupping his face, bringing him down to kiss her languidly, their tongues tangling together as he fucked her. 

After a moment he pulled away and rolled them over, allowing her to be straddled atop him. His hands found her hips as she braced her hands against his chest, the position letting him fill her deeper, a moan escaping her lips every time she came down on him. 

His thumb found her clit and she clenched around him at the contact, a groan coming from him this time. He murmured praises to her as she rode him, that damned finger of his coaxing her towards an orgasm. When he flicked it, release barrelled through her, calling out his name as she spasmed around his cock. Seconds later, he was coming too, her name joining his as he emptied himself inside her. 

She collapsed on his chest, a slight sheen of sweat covering both of them. Their chest heaved together as they came down from their highs, the tips of her fingers tracing patterns over his chest as his hand ran up and down her spine. 

When she was nothing but relaxed mush, she raised her head to look at him. He was already watching her with an open expression, almost thoughtful as he took in her face. He placed a hand on the side of her face, thumb stroking her cheekbone. 

“I’ll protect you,” he murmured, his voice resolute. “I won’t let anything happen to you or anyone else.”

She leaned into his touch, surprised that tears welled up. “What about you? Who protects you?”

He gave her a soft smile, wiping away the tears that fell. “I’m big and bad and dangerous, remember? I’ll be okay.”

As she looked at him, running a finger down his face, she realized that she could never stay away from him. This man below her, feared by everyone on campus, dangerous to the police, was secretly soft for her and only her. 

“I love you,” she breathed, the words slipping from her lips so simply, so easily. 

Rowan grinned, rolling them over and planting kisses all over her face. She giggled at his antics, humming in content when he placed a long kiss to her lips. He pulled back and cupped her cheeks, smiling at her indulgently. 

“I love you too, golden girl.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS DRUG USE. DO NOT READ IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.

Aelin didn’t know what to make of the multicolored strobe lights, the loud house music, the smoky air. A frat party was one thing, but she’d never been inside a night club, and she was further out of her league here than at a random party. 

But Rowan had insisted they go, to have a good time. 

“Where’s your super scary boyfriend that beats people up?”

Her head whipped to her right, seeing the young man she’d talked to fleetingly at the party all those weeks ago. Cairn, she remembered.

She gave him a sardonic smile, taking a sip of her drink. “Doing super scary boyfriend things.”

He laughed, hair pulled up in his seemingly characteristic man bun. His eyes were dark in the strobing club, but he had a congenial smile on his face that put her at ease. He ordered a drink and sat beside her. 

“You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re stalking me,” Aelin told him airily. 

He winked at her. “Maybe I would be if Rowan Whitethorn wasn’t your boyfriend. Everyone knows better than to mess with him.”

They way he spoke about her boyfriend, the tone of his voice… she frowned. “And why is that?”

Cairn winced as if he had let out a secret he wasn’t meant to. “It’s nothing, really.”

“You can tell me. Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret,” she leaned in conspiratorially. 

His lips twisted in thought and then he smirked at her, leaning in as well. “So by now I would hope you know that he’s in a gang.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah I deduced that much.”

“Well…” His eyes traveled around the club before landing back on her. “Word has it that he kills anyone who stands in his way. Other gang members, yeah, but random innocent people too. Police officers. That kind of thing.”

Aelin froze, her skin going cold. “Excuse me?”

He held his hands up placatingly. “Just rumors. But between you and me, I think they’re more than rumors. Your boyfriend has blood on his hands.”

She looked toward the back of the club where said boyfriend was sitting with the rest of his gang. Cigarette smoke clouded their images but she knew they were back there, talking about gods know what. 

“Excuse me a moment,” she said to Cairn, who just nodded. 

She headed over to the dim corner booth, standing at the table until Rowan deigned to acknowledge her presence. When he did, whatever he saw on her face must’ve alerted him, because he stood and pulled her aside.

“What is it?” he asked.

“So were you ever going to tell me that you’re also in the streets killing people?” she demanded, her voice frosty. She realized that here wasn’t probably the best place to have this conversation but she was beyond caring.

“Who the hell told you that?” Rowan’s voice was tinged with surprise, but he didn’t deny her question. 

She waved back towards the bar, looking over her shoulder but Cairn was no longer there. Frowning, she turned to Rowan. “Some guy named Cairn was just talking to me. I ran into him at the party a couple of weeks ago where you busted Chaol’s face.”

Even in the dim corner, she could see him go pale, watched as his eyes widen. He spun towards his gang, spitting words at them that she couldn’t hear. Their faces all morphed into the picture perfect look of seriousness, and they all got up and left. Rowan turned back to her and grabbed her arm, leading her through the club and towards the exit. 

“We have to go,” he told her.

Dumbfounded, she managed to pull out of his grasp when they exited out onto the sidewalk, the cool night air blowing across her face. “What the fuck is going on, Rowan?”

“Listen, I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but I need to get you out of here,” he said tersely, grabbing her again and pulling her towards his motorcycle. 

“Rowan!”

He didn’t listen to her as he strapped a helmet on her head and ordered her to get on. They sped through the city and out to the gang’s house. His face was unreadable as he helped her out of the helmet and hurried her inside, going through a series of locks on the door before he turned back to her. He pointed to the stairs and she huffed in annoyance before going up to his room, crossing her arms as she watched him shut the door behind them, locking it as well. 

“Cairn…” Rowan started, and then shook his head. “Cairn is the leader of the rival gang in town.”

All the blood rushed from her face as she stared at him. She had been right there, inches from the rival leader, talking to him,  _ laughing _ with him, and she hadn’t even known. All because Rowan thought it was best to keep her as uninvolved in his gang life as possible.

“Rowan—” she choked out, her anger and fear rising into her throat. “He was right there. He could’ve done something to me!”

“He wouldn’t have. Not with me so close.” He ran a hand through his hair. “He probably wanted to feel you out. Wanted to keep tabs on you.”

Her fists clenched and unclenched, unable to form a coherent sentence. Her life was now infinitely more in danger, and her boyfriend was standing there like Cairn hadn’t been so close to her he could’ve slit her throat with no one noticing. 

“How can I trust you?” she eventually got out. “How can I trust you when you don’t tell me anything? This would be something I need to know!”

“I didn’t think he would take such a strong interest in you. He has his own girlfriend, he knows the stakes of being close to someone. I didn’t think he would try to figure out a way to use you against me. Not when I could use his girlfriend against him.”

“I can’t even…” she sighed, yanking at her hair. “I can’t even think about this right now, Rowan. I can’t even process this.”

He reached out a hand and she froze almost involuntarily. His hand stilled but didn’t retreat, his fingers so close to brushing her jaw. “Are you scared of me?”

She locked eyes with him. “No.”

His hand moved again, fingers tracing the shape of her jaw, the apple of her cheek. “Do you trust me?”

She did, despite everything. The hand on her face, his hands that had explored every inch of her body… they’d ended lives. But his hands had never been anything but soft. Loving. Gentle. Even during rough sex, they never felt threatening. 

“Yes,” she murmured.

He pulled back. “Then let me take your mind off of it for a little while.” He reached into his bedside table drawer and pulled out a small bottle with a stopper, clear liquid swirling around.

She rose a brow as he opened it, pulling up just one drop of the liquid in the stopper. He held it out.

“Open your mouth and stick out your tongue,” he ordered, his voice soft and sensual.

She frowned, eyes moving from the stopper to his face. He gave her a small smile, like he could guess her hesitant thoughts. 

“I would never do anything that would hurt you,” he swore to her. “Let go, golden girl. Live a little.”

She bit her lip and then nodded, sticking out her tongue. He rolled the small drop on her tongue. She swallowed as he did the same to himself. It tasted slightly sweet, like sugar water. 

“What is this supposed to do, exactly?” she asked as he got up from where he’d been kneeling in front of her. 

He flicked off his lights, bathing them in darkness until light flared again, soft strobing lights of reds and blues and greens. He came back to her, cocking his head as he looked down at her. 

“This,” he said simply, reaching out to cup her face again. 

And her skin ignited. 

Suddenly, it was like she was barreling down into her core, free falling as Rowan’s fingers slipped over her cheek. Everywhere he touched, flames erupted in his wake. She gasped out, the sound muffled when Rowan placed his lips against hers. 

Every thought emptied out of her head, she forgot her own name as something exploded inside of her, ripping the breath from her lungs as she kissed him back. Her hands came up to his leather clad shoulders, her fingertips zinging as they came into contact with the supple material. 

It was like every nerve had come to life inside of her body, every inch of her skin sensitized like it usually was after each time they had sex; it was like pleasure in its purest form. Every brush of Rowan’s fingers had her gasping aloud, goosebumps erupting along her flesh. She hardly recognized that she’d gotten him out of his jacket and shirt, hardly recognized that he’d done the same to her. Hardly recognized that she was completely naked before him.

Her back hit the mattress, Rowan hovering over her as his lips began a smoking decent down her skin. Her hands grabbed at his shoulders, nails digging in, the feel of his lips on her neck almost too much to handle. She tried, gods help her, she really tried to catch her breath but it seemed to evade her every time the soft skin of Rowan’s mouth drifted over her body. She could breathe but felt breathless at the same time, like she was drowning but instead of fear, she felt exhilarated. She was panting, out of her depth, unable to coherently think about what exactly was going on with her body. Whatever drug they had taken together, it amplified every single atom of her being, it shook her to her core, it dismantled and rearranged the cosmos flickering above her head as his lips moved on her. He left wildfire behind as he kissed down her body, the heat deliciously licking at her skin as he went lower and lower until—

She cried out, her breath barreling back into her lungs and pleasure exploding at her very core as Rowan’s mouth settled between her legs, his fingers pressing bruises into her thighs. Her eyes opened just briefly, the strobing lights seeming to swirl around her, Rowan’s silvery-white head blurred when she looked down. His tongue swept between her folds and her head fell back again, her back arching as the most intense pleasure she’d ever felt rocked her to her core. The firm support of his mattress against her back disappeared and she was floating, her soul having left her body at the first sweep of Rowan’s tongue. All she could feel, all her mind tried in vain to register was that his hands were gripping her hips, his teeth and tongue and mouth, gods gods  _ gods _ — she didn’t know if she was crying out his name, didn’t know if she was praying to those deities, didn’t know if she was saying anything at all as he pleasured her. Like he was  _ made _ to give her pleasure, pleasure she knew nothing of until this moment, like every moment of her life had led up to this point, to being completely enthralled in the man between her legs.

The lights still flickered behind her lids, seeming to be synched in time with Rowan’s movements. She couldn’t stop her own writhing movements, her hands slipping through the silk that was his hair. She couldn’t get a steady grip on his hair, her fingers unable to work correctly. She took a heaving gasp of air, the scent of her and Rowan infiltrating her nose. A scent that was heady, a scent she wanted to bottle up and douse herself with every single day for the rest of her life. Noises escaped her lips, noises that could have been gasps or moans or his name, she didn’t know. Her senses were overloaded as his mouth continued its sensuous attack, his lips wrapping around her clit.

She erupted. She blew up, she exploded, she shattered, came completely and utterly undone as soon as he’d gotten hold of that sensitive nub, white light seeming to blind her as fire consumed her, flames licking up every inch of her skin. She could barely hear Rowan letting out a dark laugh, barely feel him pulling her up into his lap, could barely focus on anything except the way her body shook, her forehead slick with sweat, her muscles tense and loose all at once. 

The haze she had succumbed to was quickly overrun when she felt Rowan’s lips on her neck, bringing her back to the present. His teeth left imprints in her skin, but she didn’t feel any pain. If anything, if it was even possible, his mouth felt like kerosene drenching her body, and one strike of his mouth against her skin was going to make her catch fire and  _ burn _ . If she already wasn’t on fire. His hands ran up her back, her skin ablaze all over again as she wrapped her arms around his neck loosely, her head tilted back as he kissed across her throat. Her whole body felt like she was swimming in champagne, tiny bubbles popping against her skin as Rowan’s hands trailed over every centimeter. 

Rowan shifted her, his cock entering her swiftly and she groaned out, clenching around him. She went dizzy with the pleasure of him bare inside her, and even though she’d had him like this in every which way before, it felt better than anything he’d ever given her. Somewhere in the back of her subconscious, she knew it was because of that drop of liquid on her tongue but she didn’t mind, she didn’t care, she lost all of her sense again as Rowan began to move inside her. She felt him groan against her neck, his hands wrapping around her hips, squeezing tight. She wondered if he was affected as much as she was, if he wanted to burn with her, melt and forge with her until they were a single soul. 

She knew his hands were scouring every little expanse of her skin, could distantly feel a fist in her hair, yanking her head back so he had access to her neck. But none of it mattered as she rocked on him, the slip and slide of their skin causing goosebumps to erupt along her arms, arms that were carelessly thrown around Rowan’s neck as they fucked. She opened her eyes at some point, staring into the deep green of his eyes, her vision zeroing in on the way they seemed to refract with golds and browns and other greens, a kaleidoscope of color that she wanted to burn into her memory. 

She focused on his lips, could see that he was saying something, and she struggled to tune her hearing back to the mortal world, her senses so far gone that she could barely focus on anything except the pleasure he gave her. 

She managed to catch his words, heard the whispered “I love you” and she cracked and imploded and scattered a second time, a star bursting, sending millions upon millions of atoms and dust particles and stardust in every which direction, her cries of pleasure a chorus of otherworld angelic noises as she finally tumbled back into her body, back to reality, to real life.

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

The next week with Rowan was bliss. Aelin spent most of her time at the gang’s house, Rowan toting them back and forth from the university every day. She’d barely seen Lysandra but whenever she did, her best friend would just give her a knowing smile. 

But as much as she loved spending every free moment in Rowan’s bed, she couldn’t stay there, despite her boyfriend’s not-so-subtle requests to just move in with him. He’d finally relented when she pointed out that it would look suspicious if he was gone from the frat house too long as well. 

Plus, she needed a small break from him to go visit her parents. It was Sunday morning and she had spent the weekend with them, catching up. She only had a few weeks left in the semester, and with finals fast-approaching, she needed to get away.

She was sitting cross-legged in a kitchen chair, in one of Rowan’s frat hoodies and leggings, a mug of coffee scalding her hands as she read through some notes for a test later in the week. Her father was cooking pancakes, casually chatting with her. 

“So, I ran into Chaol the other day.”

Aelin froze, shutting her eyes for a moment before looking up to her dad. “And?”

Rhoe raised a brow, shrugging. “He’s got a good shiner and a broken nose.”

She bit her lip and looked back down at her notes. Chaol had been milking his injuries since the fight, and telling anyone who bothered to listen who had given them to him. She waited for her father’s next words. 

“He said your new boyfriend beat him up,” Rhoe said, his tone so nonchalant she almost didn’t hear the slight suspicion in his voice.

“Did he now?” Aelin asked conversationally, flipping a page, pretending to focus on her scrawling handwriting. 

“Don’t play dumb with me, Fireheart. Your mother and I want you to invite him for dinner tonight,” Rhoe ordered, his police chief voice coming out as he set a plate of pancakes down in front of her. 

She refrained from swearing in front of her dad, letting out a resigned sigh instead. “Yes, sir.”

-

Hours later, Aelin was in the passenger seat of Rowan’s Mustang, her leg shaking faster and faster the closer they got to her house. 

“There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

Her head swung towards him, giving him a dirty look. “I’m the police chief’s daughter dating Orynth’s number one criminal. That’s everything to be worried about.”

Rowan’s lips flashed in a smirk and he reached over to squeeze her thigh comfortingly. “He doesn’t know that I am though.”

“Rowan,” Aelin hissed, pushing his hand off her thigh. “My dad’s instincts are already on high alert because he knows my boyfriend rearranged my ex-boyfriend’s face. I could see the ‘my daughter is dating a psycho’ thoughts on his face this morning.”

Rowan said nothing as he pulled into her driveway. He turned to her and grabbed her face in one large hand, pulling her close. 

“It’s just one dinner, golden girl. Then I can take you back to my place and show you just how  _ psycho _ I am,” he purred, planting a kiss on her pouting lips before pulling away and getting out of the car. 

He came around to the passenger side and helped her out, his tattooed hand tangling with hers. He was, thankfully, dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a fitted button-down shirt, though the sleeves were rolled up to show his inked skin. His nose ring still stayed but his silvery hair was combed back. Despite the change in his dress, he still looked exactly like the type of guy her father would love to arrest. 

She tried to keep a frown off her face as she led him up the porch steps and into her house. “I’m home!”

“In the kitchen!” her mother trilled back. 

She rolled her shoulders and gave Rowan what she hoped was a confident smile. He smirked back at her and followed her into the kitchen where her parents were, Evalin setting the table and her father finishing up whatever was for dinner. They both turned towards their daughter, polite smiles on their faces. 

“Mom, Dad, this is Rowan,” she introduced, waving a hand between them. “Rowan, this is Evalin and Rhoe Galathynius.”

“Oh, it’s so good to finally meet you,” Evalin said jovially, coming to take Rowan’s hand and shake it. “Aelin always likes to keep her boyfriends hidden from us.”

Aelin resisted the urge to put her face in her hands. Rowan gave her a funny smile and then turned a charming one back to her mother. Rhoe stepped up next to Evalin and held out a hand, his face politely blank. 

“Rhoe Galathynius, Orynth PD’s captain,” her dad greeted, and Rowan shook his hand. 

“Dad,” Aelin hissed. 

“What?” Rhoe asked, pretending to be affronted. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Rowan cut in, perfectly polite and not at all like the gang member he secretly was. 

Thankfully, a timer went off and Rhoe turned to get dinner ready. Aelin pulled Rowan to the table and sat down, wishing she had taken a few shots of vodka to get through this dinner. Rowan squeezed her thigh once in comfort. 

Dinner started out decently well, with Evalin and Rhoe asking Rowan perfectly normal questions. Aelin was even interested to find out the little tidbits about him, like how he was studying business because he wanted to start his own to provide humanitarian relief. She was surprised about that, that he wanted to help people when he was causing the police department grief by doing all sorts of illegal things. 

“So how did your fist meet Chaol Westfall’s face?” Rhoe asked.

“Dad!” Aelin yelped, incredulity coloring her tone. 

“It’s fine, love,” Rowan murmured to her before turning back to her father. “Chaol was insulting your daughter, sir, and I wasn’t going to tolerate it.”

The surprise that flashed across her father’s face was almost comical before he cleared his throat, nodding. Aelin was sure he wasn’t expecting a young man with tattoos and a nose ring to be the one defending his daughter. “Well, thank you for that son. Looks like I might have to add to that boy’s bruises.”

She groaned, but it was half-hearted. “Okay, we have to go. I have a test to study for.” 

Fifteen minutes later, she was back in Rowan’s car as they drove back to the gang’s house. 

“My dad likes you, you know,” she murmured as she leaned her head back. 

“I’m sure he wouldn’t if he knew how much I want to get you out of that dress,” Rowan tossed back. 

She laughed and smacked his shoulder playfully. She was glad that dinner had gone well, but there was a small part of her that didn’t know how much longer the charade could go on. Sooner or later her father was bound to find out who Rowan was, and when he did, Aelin knew there was going to be hell to pay. 

Rowan’s cell phone rang and he answered it. “What is it?”

Whoever was on the other end was speaking too fast for Aelin to hear, but she watched as Rowan’s face darkened. Unease crept along her skin as Rowan swore. 

“Fine. Confirm it. Meet me there.” He hung up and swore again. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, but he didn’t answer as he took a turn that had them driving away from the house and not towards it. 

Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears as Rowan tooks so many different turns and backroads until they were on the road where she had first seen him race. Headlights blinded her in the side mirror as cars pulled up behind them.

“Rowan, what’s going on?” she demanded, turning to her boyfriend as he stopped in the middle of the abandoned road and parked the car. 

“Stay in the fucking car, do you understand?” Rowan demanded, his facial expression alerting her that whatever he was about to face, it wasn’t going to be good. 

She just nodded and Rowan was out of the car. Fenrys, Lorcan, Connall, and Gavriel were all there too, fanned out on either side of him. They must’ve been the ones in the cars behind them. Her hands dug into the leather seat as she watched. 

A group of people she hadn’t noticed when Rowan parked the car stood less than ten feet away, posing the same way Rowan’s gang did. Aelin rolled down the window to hear whatever conversation was going on. 

“What are you doing here, Cairn?” she heard Rowan ask. 

She started in her seat, eyes really taking in the rival group. Standing in the center was indeed Cairn, his brown hair falling around his face, an easy smile on his lips. The same smile he had given Aelin. A young woman stood next to him, her hair black as night, a cruel smile on her red lips. She must’ve been his girlfriend. Four men stood on either side of the couple, ranging from thin and reedy to massive and bulging. Even from here, the looks on their faces told Aelin that they had been born and bred for a life of crime. 

“I’m trying to take care of a little problem, you see,” Cairn said conversationally. He pulled out something from behind his back and Aelin could see the glint of metal in the streetlights. A gun. 

She suddenly couldn’t breathe. She felt frozen as her eyes shot back and forth between her boyfriend and his rival. 

“You’re going to cause me a lot of trouble, Whitethorn,” Cairn started. “Ever since you decided to play house with the police captain’s daughter, you’ve given yourself an advantage over me. I don’t really give a shit if you’re fucking her because it gives you immunity or if you actually care about her, but right now it’s a problem that needs fixed.”

Dread had goosebumps prickling along her skin. This is exactly what she had been afraid of. Cairn was somehow going to use her against Rowan, or he was going to hurt her or kill her just for being the daughter of Orynth PD’s captain. 

“You’d have to kill me before you ever get your nasty hands on her,” Rowan threw back, his voice cold. 

Cairn laughed, a sound that had fear skittering along her bones. “I don’t need to kill anyone to get my point across.”

Before anyone could react, Cairn raised his gun into the air and shot off one round. Aelin was out of the car despite Rowan’s earlier warning, running for him. She had just gotten her hands wrapped in his jacket when police sirens sounded.

“The cops are only a minute away. I may have sent in an anonymous tip that the police captain’s daughter was in trouble. I’m sure Captain Galathynius is leading the brigade,” Cairn explained, a nasty smile on his face. 

The contents of Aelin’s stomach threatened to rise into her throat. Pure, undiluted fear squeezed her heart and she looked to Rowan with a panicked expression. Before he could say anything, the blue and red lights of a police cruiser screeched around the corner of the abandoned street they were on, three more in pursuit. 

“And just for effect,” Cairn drawled, levelling his gun at Rowan. Aelin’s screams ricocheted through the empty air as another shot went off. 

She found herself on the ground, Rowan’s body covering hers as the bullet miraculously missed and shattered the windshield of Rowan’s car. He was pulling her back up off the pavement just as the police cars screeched to a stop in front of them. Cairn and his gang were nowhere to be seen, a move Aelin was sure he had planned. 

“Don’t move, hands in the air  _ now _ !”

She let out a sob as she recognized her dad’s voice. He was barrelling towards her, wrath on his face as he realized the anonymous tip had been true, that his picture perfect daughter was in the middle of a gang war and her boyfriend was leading one half of it. 

“Get in the fucking cruiser, Aelin Galathynius. Now,” her father ordered. 

She shot a worried look at Rowan but he just nodded at her. She ran to the car and got in, tears instantly falling. 

She was so fucking screwed.

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Language, Graphic Sexual Content

A rookie cop had ended up driving Aelin back to the precinct, while she was sure her father had taken Rowan himself. As soon as the car pulled into the department’s parking lot, she was booking it out of the vehicle and racing into the building. 

Her eyes swiveled around until she saw Rhoe and her boyfriend in one of the investigation rooms, the same room her father had Fenrys in weeks ago. She stormed towards the room, throwing the door open and slamming it shut behind her. Rowan was sitting at the table, his hands in cuffs. Her father had his hands splayed on the table, his face bright red with anger. 

She ignored her dad and placed her hand on Rowan’s face, looking down at him with a worried expression. “Are you okay?”

He nodded and Aelin turned to face her father. She had never seen him so unhinged before, his face a mask of utter rage. But she could see the glint of fear in his eyes: fear that his daughter had been in real trouble, fear that she was with a man that had brought her into that kind of trouble. 

“Dad, I can explain—”

“You can  _ explain _ ?” Rhoe interrupted. “Explain to me that you’re with the man who’s leading the fucking Cadre? You  _ knew _ the police department has been on them for years. You  _ knew _ that I was looking for them. And for fucks’ sake, they were on the same campus as my daughter the whole time!” His gaze turned back to Rowan. “And what are you getting out of this, using my daughter? To use her against me? To grant you some kind of immunity?”

“Dad,  _ please _ —”

“I love your daughter, Captain Galathynius. None of that ever mattered to me,” Rowan swore, his green eyes flashing at the insinuation that he would’ve used Aelin for his own gain. 

“THEN YOU WILL LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE,” her dad all but bellowed, slamming his hands on the table. Aelin jumped, shocked at Rhoe’s outburst. She had never seen her calm and collected father so unsettled. 

Rhoe sighed and crossed his arms, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes. He was quiet for a moment before his blue eyes opened back up and flickered between his daughter and the handcuffed convict.

“I’m not going to arrest you,” Rhoe said and Aelin started at his words. He flashed her a look and continued, “For my daughter’s sake, and her sake only. But if I  _ ever _ see you with her again, I will not hesitate to throw your ass in jail.”

Aelin opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her a look that had her face burning. He looked between them and then said, “I’ll give you two a minute, and then I’m taking you home Aelin,” before uncuffing Rowan and leaving the room. 

Aelin turned to Rowan, who was getting out of the chair. She slipped her arms around him, his hands resting against the back of her neck as she held him close, tears burning her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she was whispering, her voice breaking. 

“No, golden girl. I’m the one that’s sorry. I should’ve…” she looked up at him as he shook his head, his eyes staring at a spot over her shoulder. “I should’ve stayed away in the first place. But I didn’t care, because I wanted you.”

Her heart felt like it was caving in on itself. “I don’t want to stop seeing you.”

He looked down at her with a sad smile. “Baby, I don’t either but I also can’t go to jail. And I need you to be safe.”

Tears fell down her face and she started shaking her head, started saying “No” over and over again until he took her face in his hands and wiped the tears away, kissed her protests away. She couldn’t stop crying as he placed soft, innocent kisses on her mouth, pulling back when a knock on the door sounded. 

“I’ll see you around, golden girl,” Rowan whispered as Rhoe came back in and grabbed Aelin by the arm, taking her away. 

—

Aelin hadn’t gone to class all week. She didn’t really care anymore, and it didn’t help that her father had a cop stationed in his car outside her apartment, watching the house to make sure a silver-haired gang leader didn’t come on to the premises. 

Lysandra had been a saint, collecting homework for her and letting her know of any updates in her classes. When Rhoe had brought her home, Aelin had all but fallen into Lysandra’s arms, sobbing, revealing the whole truth to her best friend if only she could try to understand what Aelin was going through. Lysandra had given her a stern lecture but then promised everything would turn out okay. She’d also subtly hinted that Rowan had barely been on campus either. It didn’t make Aelin feel better. 

It was a Saturday night and Lysandra was getting ready to go to another party at the frat house, Aelin staying home when her phone buzzed with a text from her cousin.

_ I heard what happened… I don’t approve, but I thought you should know he’s at the house tonight.  _

Aelin started, her heart pounding in her chest as her fingers flew across the keypad.  _ Thank you. _

She called to Lysandra to wait for her and then they sneaked out of the house through the backyard to avoid the patrol sitting across the street constantly watching the house. They hopped into Lys’s car that was down the street and sped off towards the frat house on campus. 

The scene was reminiscent of the first time she’d bumped into Rowan, and it made her smile slightly as Lysandra pulled her hand, leading her to the shaking house. The place was crowded, the music too loud, the drinks too shitty. They found Aedion and he gave Aelin an all-encompassing hug before yelling into her ear that a certain someone was upstairs in his room. 

She pushed through the packed bodies and was up the stairs and knocking on Rowan’s door in no time. She barely gave him time to realize who was standing in the doorway before she was in his arms, kicking the door shut behind her as she latched herself to him. He let out a surprised chuckle and held onto her, carrying her to his bed and falling onto it with her, resting his weight against her as he looked into her eyes. 

“What are you doing here, golden girl?” he asked, running his thumb across her bottom lip. 

“Disobeying my father,” was all she said before she pulled his face down to hers, capturing his lips. 

Rowan sighed contentedly against her mouth, his hands quickly getting her out of her clothes as she did the same. He wasted no time sliding down her body and placing his mouth against her core, cries falling from her mouth as he tasted her, his tongue sliding along her folds. Her hands tangled in his hair, her back arching as he pleasured her. She would never get enough of this, of the way Rowan made her feel. His touch alone was enough to ignite fire in her bones. 

Just when she felt all the muscles in her body tightening, his mouth was gone and she cursed, causing him to laugh darkly before he was grabbing her up in his arms and rolling them over so she was straddling him, his hardened cock resting against her. 

“Ride me, baby girl.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, her core tightening at his words. She grabbed the base of him and guided him into her, letting out a small moan as he slipped in and in and in until he was sheathed completely inside her. His hands gripped her hips tightly, and she hoped they left bruises as she began to ride him, sliding up and down fluidly as she braced her hands against his chest. 

“Fuck, Aelin,” he hissed as she bounced on him, his eyes glued to where they were connected. 

His words just fueled her and she quickened her pace, clenching around him. His jaw clenched and his gaze met hers, green eyes blazing. She smirked at him and leaned down to give him a sloppy kiss, their tongues connecting. Rowan grabbed her face, keeping her leaned over him as he fucked up into her, a deep groan escaping her lips as the position made the tip of him stroke against that one spot inside her. His other hand slipped between them to play with her clit, his finger circling it fiendishly. She ground out his name, her eyes squeezed shut. 

He gave her another kiss, pulling her lip into his mouth as he flicked her clit the same time that his hips snapped against hers. She immediately shattered, trembling around him as she called out his name. He released her and flipped them over again, pushing into her a few more times before releasing into her, her name a litany on his lips as he rested his forehead against hers, his weight against her. 

They laid there, his head resting on her chest as they came down from their highs. She ran a hand through his damp hair, her eyes closed in bliss. She had missed this, missed  _ him _ . Being with Rowan, despite who he was, gave her the deepest sense of peace she’d ever known. She knew she was safe in his arms, and she didn’t doubt his love for her for one moment. 

Her eyes opened as he stirred, lifting himself up onto his elbows to look down at her. His eyes roved over her face, a small smile appearing on his own when his eyes met hers. 

“I missed you,” he murmured, sitting up and taking her with him, her landing in his lap. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a soft kiss. “I missed you too.” She placed a kiss to his nose. “Lysandra told me she barely saw you on campus all week.”

His eyes darkened dangerously, and he frowned. “After the shit Cairn pulled, I decided to repay the favor.”

It was Aelin’s turn to frown. “What does that mean?”

“I gave the police an anonymous tip on where to find his warehouse. They arrested two of his men.”

“Rowan,” she said, her voice hard. “You know he’s going to retaliate.”

He sighed and got up from the bed, taking her with him. He set her on her feet and began to help her into her clothes. “I know. But this time we’ll be prepared. And this time, the cops are involved. I know your dad has them watching you. So Cairn can’t do anything in regards to you. He’ll try to hit us at our house, but unfortunately for him it’s not the only house we have.”

She stared at him as he got into his own clothes. He raised a brow at her look. 

“I hope you’re being smart about this—”

He kissed her words away, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of his room, down the stairs towards the party. “I am. Don’t worry, golden girl. Just enjoy tonight.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes at him as he grinned and led her into the pulsating crowd dancing to the music. She had just wrapped her arms around his neck when Aedion was on them. 

“Your fucking dad knows you’re here,” he said into her ear. “The cops—”

His words were cut off as the music abruptly stopped and someone shouted that the cops were pulling up. Everyone was in a frenzy, escaping the house and running for their lives as Aelin saw the blinking red and blue lights through the windows. 

She groaned and gave Rowan a goodbye kiss, smiling at him sadly as she ran out of the house and down the driveway. She froze as she saw her father at the end of it, leaned against his cruiser, his face livid. 

“Get in the car, Aelin,” he said in a strangled voice and she hung her head, her face burning as she slid into the passenger seat. 

Rhoe got in, slamming the door and driving off towards her parents’ house, not her apartment. 

“Dad—” she tried to explain but he lifted a hand. 

“I obviously cannot trust you. So you’re staying at home until I decide you can go back to your apartment.”

Anger narrowed her vision, made her hands shake. “You can’t do that!”

“Yes, I can!” he shouted back, his eyes leaving the road to glare at her. “If you don’t stay away from that man, I’ll make sure you never see him again.”

Her mouth dropped open and she was about to yell, to scream, to say anything that might hurt him as much as he was hurting her when headlights flashed before them. She heard her dad shout something unintelligible before something slammed into the front of the car, sending an airbag flying into her face before she could even begin to fly forward. 

Her world went black as soon as she was slammed back against her seat. 

  
  



End file.
